Poem: I Am Invited to Lunch

I Am Invited to Lunch

with my mother
and her friends,
but when I ask
where we will eat,
my mother names
a place she knows
is difficult for me,
where the menu
does not offer
many options
suitable to my
dietary restrictions.

My mother
is insistent
that I must
lose weight,
must make changes
to be healthier,
but when I
balk, she only
gives me a scowl,
tells me this place
"works for everyone,"
making it clear
who I am here,
what consideration
I deserve
or should expect.

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