Ambulatory Wheelchair User
Thank you, Gabe, for wheeling my
rebellious body amidst travelers scurrying
like frazzled ants at LAX,
for navigating the maze of lines
and waiting while I use the restroom,
retrieving my weathered Reeboks
from the grey bin and depositing
them in my hands with a gentle grace
worthy of Cinderella’s proverbial slippers.
Thanks for not asking what’s wrong
with me, for refraining from saying
But you don’t look sick.
rebellious body amidst travelers scurrying
like frazzled ants at LAX,
for navigating the maze of lines
and waiting while I use the restroom,
retrieving my weathered Reeboks
from the grey bin and depositing
them in my hands with a gentle grace
worthy of Cinderella’s proverbial slippers.
Thanks for not asking what’s wrong
with me, for refraining from saying
But you don’t look sick.
Rita Maria Martinez’s Jane Eyre-inspired poetry collection, The Jane and Bertha in Me (Kelsay
Books), was a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for the Word
Works Washington Prize. The poet’s current writing raises awareness about triumphs and
challenges inherent in navigating life with chronic daily headache (CDH) and migraine. Her
poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appears in places like The Best American
Poetry Blog, Ploughshares, Wordgathering, SWWIM, and in the textbook Three Genres: The
Writing of Fiction / Literary Nonfiction, Poetry and Drama. The author has work forthcoming in
Tupelo Quarterly and in an anthology affiliated with the Disability Writes Project. Follow Rita
on Twitter @cubanbronteite, on Instagram @rita.maria.martinez.poet.
Books), was a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for the Word
Works Washington Prize. The poet’s current writing raises awareness about triumphs and
challenges inherent in navigating life with chronic daily headache (CDH) and migraine. Her
poetry has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appears in places like The Best American
Poetry Blog, Ploughshares, Wordgathering, SWWIM, and in the textbook Three Genres: The
Writing of Fiction / Literary Nonfiction, Poetry and Drama. The author has work forthcoming in
Tupelo Quarterly and in an anthology affiliated with the Disability Writes Project. Follow Rita
on Twitter @cubanbronteite, on Instagram @rita.maria.martinez.poet.
Art: The Jacket with Orange Buttons, oil on canvas, Rebecca Pyle
Originally appeared in Blood Orange Review
Originally appeared in Blood Orange Review
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