Dieting is no easy job.

It eats at my resistance like

Easter candy, long gone stale,

Tucked away in last year’s basket.

I yearn for a choice piece of chocolate,

Nougat or caramel crème or a

Generous slice of dark chocolate torte.

Those things aren’t in my fare for

Housed within my body are too many

Ounces of fat cells, to the point of

Ugliness, obesity, just plain fat.

Gaining cannot happen, but if I

Have the willpower to succeed,

Success will come my way.

I hope.

The thing is, candy is alluring.

It calls my name, over and over

Until I have no choice but to sneak a bite

A piece, a chunk when no one is looking.

Guilt overwhelms my every thought.

Asking, why did I sabotage myself?

I’m a strong woman, I tell myself.

I’ve overcome emotional and physical abuse.

I’ve suffered chastisement from an employer.

I’ve raised three amazing adults

And been married for decades.

But yet I can’t walk away

When a simple piece of candy,

Or a perfectly baked cookie,

Or a slice of peach pie,

Or a spectacular bowl of ice cream

Appear, like magic.

I tell myself that

I Will. Try. Again.