Eat Me by Patience Agbabi
Ever wondered how food can become a weapon of control? This disturbing poem explores a toxic relationship where a woman is systematically overfed by her partner for his sexual gratification. The power dynamic shifts throughout as she becomes "too fat to leave" but eventually takes deadly revenge.
The rigid structure of 10 tercets mirrors the strict feeding regime, whilst harsh consonants like 'k', 'd', and 't' create violent, controlling sounds. Notice how the stanza sizes gradually increase - this literally shows the woman's growing body on the page.
Key phrases like "I was his Jacuzzi" and "He was my cook" reveal how both characters reduce each other to mere functions. The water imagery ("beached whale", "drowned") suggests she's drowning in this oppressive situation.
Quick tip: The ambiguous ending where she leaves him "for six hours" with "nothing left to eat" strongly implies she's killed him - ultimate revenge for her sexual objectification.