When a body backfires, spits tar
doesn’t work for you,
take it off.
Pack it with no light
the shiniest ribbon,
or it might whistle,
start singing for escape.
Now wait.
Move away slowly,
stop all clocks and listen −
feel the mould, feel the surface
of nothing.
Know you’re safe.
Take four glides and don’t look back
open the door to outside,
sail through,
enjoy the release
swing with it.
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Julie Stevens writes poems that cover many themes, but often engages with the problems of disability. She is widely published in places such as Ink Sweat & Tears, Fly on the Wall Press and Acropolis Journal. She has two published pamphlets: Quicksand (Dreich, 2020) and a Stickleback Balancing Act (The Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2021). Her next collection Step into the Dark will be published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press later this year. www.jumpingjulespoetry.com
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