“Eat me” by Patience Agbabi (Carys)

The poem I like the most from the Anthology of poems is “Eat me” by Patience Agbabi. I find this poem interesting as it is based on a topic relevant to today’s society. The number of people with obesity has significantly increased within the last 30 years and I think that the way Agbabi addresses obesity and the power to overcome the struggle of dealing with it is very remarkable.

There is also an interpretation of a reference to the story of Alice in Wonderland, which I find interesting. In the first stanza it says “The icing was white but the letters were pink, they said, EAT ME. And I ate, did what I was told.” This references the part where Alice was able to change her size by eating or drinking certain things. I liked this as Alice in Wonderland is a movie that I enjoyed as a child, and so I felt as if I had a link to it and I could understand the significance of the reference within the poem.

Although there are some aspects in this poem which I found amusing, I also recognise and appreciate the serious feelings and emotions that are present throughout. The narrator in the poem is constantly made to feel self-conscious and weak as her partner continues to over feed her and make her gain wait. The use of the words “shipwreck, broad, tidal wave and beached whale” provide the imagery of the narrator being extremely large, however it also make me think of how these words can emotionally damage her and how it can have a negative effect on a person.

In general, I prefer this poem to the others that I’ve looked at because it focuses on a current worldwide issue, it involves a range of language to create humorous and serious scenarios in my mind, and how it shows the greed for power.