By Manasa Gogineni
My Cursive Backbone
My backbone is curved like a snake,
an ivory reptile that twists me on the inside
and outside.
Cursive, it serpents like an S.
It can’t be left to progress anymore,
so I have to wear a rigid plastic corset.
It’s called Scoliosis,
abnormal curvature of the spine,
left untreated they say your heart and lungs would
likely probably definitely explode
into a million crimson fragments.
People think it’s funny
to punch me in the stomach.
They call them abs of steel.
It makes me feel lonely but
I have to laugh with them.
So I pretend that back braces
are the new black
because I know a lot of people have it harder
and still make it through every day.
They say things like this will make you stronger,
make you harder to break,
and if this means having a turtle shell
for a few years,
I can’t wait to be weak.
Read more about the Cupertino Poetry Contest in these related articles:
City's Poetry Contest Winners Announced
First Poetry Contest Offered By City's Poet Laureate
Cupertino Patch featured the winner of the Child category, Advait Patil, on Wednesday, and the Adult category winner on Friday.
