a body that dances

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tw: references to healthcare, illness, body dysmorphia

~i've been researching for my final dance paper and presentation, lots of poetic inspiration~

written on: march 7, 2024


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to sit in a doctor's office and be talked at

understand the lab values

look at the body in front of you and say i don't know how you're alive

the body in front of you – a body that does not work


to run at the park

circles and circles of disobedience

look at the body in front of you, putting one broken leg in front of the other

the body in front of you – a body that is frail


to stand at the mirror

reflections of light becoming hell

look at the body in front of you, staring back

the body in front of you – a body that takes up too much space


to collapse in a high school bathroom

eyes overtaken by darkness, ears hearing the rush of so many lost years

no ability to look at the body in front of you

the body in front of you – a body that has given up


to lie on the floor

feel the body press against the wood

look at the body in front of you, feeling the wood press back

the body in front of you – a body that is supported, unfamiliar


to move the arms

then the legs

look at the body in front of you, moving torso and pelvis and sidebody and back and shoulder, moving every little aching piece

the body in front of you – a body that is battered but unyielding


to push up onto the feet

flying like birds outside the window

look at the body in front of you, flowing like the river that runs beneath

the body in front of you – a body that wants to know effervescence


to see the reflections in the glass

finally undistorted

look at the body in front of you, a body that survived

the body in front of you – a body that dances

poetry by wunderWhere stories live. Discover now