Pessimism

(After Salena Godden)

I hear her words and am caught in the uplift
But when the poem's echo fades, I begin to wonder…

Pessimism is for lightweights? 
This heavyweight begs to differ. 
There isn’t much to be optimistic about 
When the sight of me causes a snigger. 

When my body is reviled and rejected. 
When I’m seen as a greedy lazy slob. 
When I’m marginalised and ostracised for how I look, 
Optimism isn’t up to the job. 

Pessimism isn’t a choice I’ve made. 
It’s been loaded onto me a bit like the fat. 
Shouldering the last acceptable prejudice, it seems
Has left me, despite appearances, quite flat. 

But please don’t get me wrong, Ms Godden – 
I do love your hopeful song. 
I just wish when it comes to us heavyweights, 
Optimism could right all the wrong. 

The story behind the poem

This one’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek response to Selena Godden’s brilliant poem Pessimism is for Lightweights. You can watch a performance of it here, from the 1:55 mark.