If My Body Could Speak
By Blythe Baird
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
In poems that dig deep into sexuality, acceptance of the body, survival of trauma, and learning to love yourself in spite of everything telling you not to, Baird's voice is a rich addition to her generation. Searing, soaring, and heartbreaking, If My Body Could Speak balances the softness of femininity with the sharpness that girls are forced to become.
Includes poems such as "Girl Code 101", "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny", and "Pocket-Sized Feminism" that have been watched by millions online.
Blythe Baird
At only 25 years old, Blythe Baird is already one of the most recognizable and acclaimed names in spoken word poetry. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the viral writer has garnered international recognition for her stunning performance pieces that speak urgently and honestly about sexual assault, mental illness, eating disorder recovery, sexuality, and healing from trauma. Baird graduated from Hamline University in 2018 with a dual degree in creative writing and women’s studies. In 2020, she became the recipient of the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Spoken Word.
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Reviews for If My Body Could Speak
145 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5i love this book it was so beautiful the author is amazing
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is exactly what I needed today. Thank you for putting my pain into words. Your slam poetry has always touched me and now I feel less alone.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5No words can describe how wonderful this book is ...such a powerful piece of writing which speaks for the Author ,what an amazing book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/54.5 stars
content warning: sexual assault, eating disorder, homophobia
This collection made me feel all the emotions - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wow, this made me emotional as I could relate to a lot of it ?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is beautiful.Her writing is beautiful.It's so sad that we women have to live in fear everyday since we were kids..
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the first poem I am reading that talks about anorexia and rape (from the poet's POV), and I don't know what to say.
If I say this poetry is a beautiful work of art, which it indeed is, am I endorsing all the things that happened? The experiences that brought this to be.
I don't think so. But perhaps I'll say I am grateful to Baird for sharing this part of herself. Thank you Blythe Baird. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Extremely relatable. Love her work!! Her slam poetry is also amazing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5These are my favourite pieces of poetry ever! It’s scary how similar I am to Blythe (same struggles with eating disorders, I’m also a lesbian, with a homophobic mum who sounds exactly like her mum in the poetry) but the poems I couldn’t relate to (about assault) really struck a chord with me, it just proves how amazing her writing is that you don’t have to have gone through the same thing to connect with her poems. I think she did such an amazing job with this book and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I’ve always liked her poetry, if you like this, check out her live slam poetry.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I don't think I've read something so hauntingly beautiful, bleak and honest in a long time.
Book preview
If My Body Could Speak - Blythe Baird
SPEAK
WHEN THE FAT GIRL GETS SKINNY
the year of skinny pop and sugar-free jello cups
we guzzled vitamin water and vodka
toasting to high school and survival
complimenting each other’s collarbones
trying diets we found on the internet:
menthol cigarettes, eating in front of a mirror,
donating blood
replacing meals with other practical hobbies
like making flower crowns
or fainting
wondering why I haven’t had my period
in months
why breakfast tastes like
giving up
or how many more productive ways
I could have spent my time today
besides googling the calories
in the glue of a US envelope,
watching America’s Next Top Model
like the gospel,
hunching naked over a bathroom scale shrine,
crying into an empty bowl of Cocoa Puffs
because I only feel pretty
when I’m hungry
if you are not recovering
you are dying
by the time I was sixteen, I had already experienced
being clinically overweight, underweight, and obese
as a child, fat was the first word
people used to describe me
which didn’t offend me until
I found out it was supposed to
when I lost weight, my dad was so proud
he started carrying my before-and-after photo
in his wallet
so relieved he could stop worrying
about me getting diabetes
he saw a program on the news
about the epidemic with obesity,
says he is just so glad to finally see me
taking care of myself
if you develop an eating disorder
when you are already thin to begin with,
you go to the hospital
if you develop an eating disorder
when you are not thin to begin with,
you are a success story
so when I evaporated, of course
everyone congratulated me
on getting healthy
girls at school who never spoke to me before
stopped me in the hallway to ask how I did it
I say, I am sick
they say, No, you are
an inspiration
how could I not fall
in love with my illness?
with becoming the kind of silhouette
people are supposed to fall in love with?
why would I ever want to stop
being hungry
when anorexia was the most
interesting thing about me?
so, how lucky it is now,
to be boring
the way not going to the hospital
is boring
the way looking at an apple
and seeing only an apple, not sixty
or half an hour of sit-ups
is boring
my story may not be as exciting as it used
to be, but at least there is nothing left
to count
the calculator in my head
finally stopped
I used to love the feeling of drinking water
on an empty stomach
waiting for the coolness to slip all
the way down and land in the well
not obsessed with being empty
but afraid of being full
I used to take pride in being able to feel
cold in a warm room
now, I am proud I have stopped
seeking revenge on this body
this was the year of eating
when I was hungry
without punishing myself
and I know it sounds ridiculous,
but that shit is hard
when I