GIRL WITH THE BROKEN BACK

See how she scuttles across the floor
The cold tile numbs, then burns
Her palms, knees, shins
All portions of flesh pressed on
The harder thing—the hardest thing

Not cursed yet—
—Soon

Then there’s this back
The thing that holds her together
The thing she’s built around
Grew up around
Now crushed under the weight of
Their bad will

Question is: will she get to her feet again?
In agony? In overcoming song?
Maybe it doesn’t matter
As long as she looks up

 

Photo Credit: Jonathan Kos-Read Flickr via Compfight cc

Written by 

Anne Leigh Parrish’s new poetry collection, The Banished and the Dead, appeared in March 2026 from Unsolicited Press. Her next collection of short stories, People Ruin Everything, will arrive in October 2026, also from Unsolicited Press. In 2027 she will present two more titles: When the River Runs Blue, poems; and The Quiet Violence of An Angry Heart, both from Unsolicited Press. She lives in Olympia, Washington. Explore her writing at www.anneleighparrish.com and her photography at www.laviniastudios.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *