A Big Fat Legacy by Emily Knight

image by Pauline Rochette | @rochette.pauline

A Big Fat Legacy

By Emily Knight

I am afraid that if I die, no one will see it as a loss, that they’ll see it as gaining the space my fat

body left behind

That they will see it as an inevitability moreso than they do for those who simply walk through

the world instead of having to squeeze through tight spaces

That they will see it as my own moral failing, six feet under being nothing but a new low, my

“tragic” weight dragging me down

That they will see it as a plot device in the story of the thin women who knew me or a cautionary

tale about the dangers of a body like mine

I am afraid that if I die, everyone will think it’s because I choked on a ham sandwich

Emily is a singer/songwriter in Denver, Colorado. For her, you can follow @emilymargaretknight and for poetry, you can follow @bigsmallwords on Instagram.