I Know My Name and How to Spell It
"I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be." ~ Joan Dideon
Copper skull strings,
hide of freckles,
choir of elders
watch me enter.
Lashes lowered,
side-eyes leftwise,
pull on sun-glasses
while cacaphoning
high note cackles,
'hurry, or go blind.'
*
Black cats bad luck -
theys rub my legs,
warm my neck.
Cracks break mom,
I break them!
Dad's ladder -
crawl beneath to make
my bed - eyes beholding!
*
G'head hit me
this skull is callused,
can you feel
the suture lines?
Long one leads to
my third eye blinded,
I will filter you whole
into my neoplastic gray
mass to XYZ you
in the fire of letters burned.
*
I know my name
and how it's spelled,
my family calls me
by another.
I used to answer to it,
now I don't. If they
choose to see me,
they may learn.
Something wrong with this poem?
Replies are closed for this poem.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, 24/7. Crisis Text Line — text HELLO to 741741.
Your Poem's Voice
See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.
Comments (0)
Comments are closed for this poem.