I have an allergy to Coca Cola. I never knew this when I was younger, and in those days I wasn’t entirely aware of the adverse health effects of soda. So I used to consume it quite often. A company that I worked for stocked soda, and I used to have some everyday. It caused my skin to break out. Terrible sore unsightly breakouts on my face. I had to wear tons of foundation to try and conceal the redness. The first thing I would do in the morning is touch my face. I wanted to cry. How can I actually be seen with these terrible sores on my skin? One day my BFF caught me drinking soda. What are you doing, she asked? Soda makes you fat. You shouldn’t touch the stuff! I was so slim in those days. And I wanted to stay that way. So I stopped consuming it. And miraculously my face cleared up. I never realized until a few times later, I would have some and a week later was having a huge red bump on my face. Oh no, my heart would drop when I felt it. These were not minor sores, they were massive boil-type bumps that really swell up and were so painful, taking ages to heal. And then I finally realized. Now I stay away from it. And if I don’t, I know what will happen. My skin will reveal my actions. Sometimes, very seldomly I may have some lemonade, it doesn’t have the same effect, though I am conscious of the sugar. Usually I stop at sparkling water. My skin has cleared up. But I still wear foundation every day.
Poems and Petals 