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The Vanishing Act

Tiffany Renee Harmon

“Dying is an art like everything else
I do it exceptionally well.”
       -Sylvia Plath, “Lady Lazarus”

Flash! She has the spotlight. She’s almost a star.
Soon, her body will be plastered in glossy magazines.
Darling, don’t you know the camera adds ten pounds?
Flush. Just this once she’ll get rid of her lunch
and pretend she doesn’t love the feeling of control.

Flash! Designers are picky. Not everyone is good enough.
She stares at the skeletons of her competition.
Sweetie, haven’t you heard that two is the new four?
Flush. She promises to stop once she’s perfect.
It’s not really as bad as it seems.

Flash! Crowds of adoring fans come to stare at her thighs.
She’d do anything to keep their attention.
We like you, but we’d love you five pounds thinner.
Flush. She purges herself of the feelings inside.
It’s the only way she knows how to cope.

Flash! She opens herself up to the camera’s dissections
and lets the public examine every inch of uncovered flesh.
I love your look. Your cheekbones could cut glass.
Flush. Another offering to the god of the porcelain throne.
She’s dizzy and spiraling out of control.

Flash! The Photoshop can hide her rotting teeth.
Her smile falters. She stumbles down the runway.
Honey, beauty is pain. Only the strong survive.
Flush. This time blood accompanies the swirling vomit.
It’s hard to breathe. Black dots impede her vision.
Her fifteen minutes are up.

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