I’ve been writing a lot about the body, chronic pain, and the strange ways pain is invisible but still felt.
Today, Words Dance published one of my new body poems, “Ode to my physical therapist.” They called me a “lovely badass” when they sent the acceptance note — and I’ve never been more gushy. I hope I live up to that title!
I recently finished a several-month round of physical therapy. It was grueling, difficult, and necessary. I gained methods of focusing on my core. I learned that my back and hip muscles were very weak, and how to strengthen them. The poem focuses on a specific technique my PT tried with me, called spinal traction. While my pain is still around (that lingering bastard), the techniques I learned in PT have helped me try to manage it.
For more background on my back pain, you can read about what inspired “Body remembers,” which was published in May in The Fem.
Thanks for reading.