I toss my stacks
of sleek, starry-eyed photos.
Enroll part-time
at Nassau Community College
and join the church that helps Dad stay sober.
I can do this
all that willpower will
crush this eating disorder.
Time to draw on my potential.
And hope.
Apologies to Emily Dickenson, but
my hope does not have feathers. My hope
has claws and fur and teeth
and fills me with
the determination to fight.