«I want to be…» — Summary

I want to be As empty as my stomach I just want to Fly far away I want to see The marks on my skin Fade away Simply to be remade I want to ask you How many of these scars You think are mine And how many were you I want to see The numbers go down See the sizes melt away Until I'm left with a zero I want to forget The secrets whispered Between my throat And my fingers I want you To confront me on my lies Tell me I'm ruining my life So I can go ruin is some more

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The speaker of this untitled poem wants to shrink until almost nothing is left. The opening line sets emptiness of body and self side by side, and the imagery that follows suggests an eating disorder and self-harm: the "marks on my skin," the "scars," the numbers that should "go down" until there is "a zero." Judging by these details, the speaker measures their worth in weight and in how much of themselves they can erase.

Yet the poem is not only about despair. There is a wish to be "remade," and a strange, painful request: the speaker wants someone to confront them about their lies and tell them they're ruining their life. The final line, though, admits that even this honesty might not stop them from going on. The mood is raw, tired and quietly desperate. It sounds like someone who is trapped in a pattern, half hoping to be caught and half expecting to carry on anyway.

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