cerebral palsy
poetry by Honor Ford
cerebral palsy
I used to think my footsteps sounded like a horse
that’d been injured in her first race
ugly and buck-toothed
clip clop-thunk clip clop-thunk clip clop-thunk
I would watch the floor
so I wouldn’t have to watch
the Eckleberg eyes around me
so that I wouldn’t trip on the ice
or over a rock
or (most often) over my own feet
I used to think that my scars should be hidden
puckered and textured
drew too much attention to the round,
paleness of my stomach
She told me after she fell in love with me
that she knew the sound of my footsteps
that the sound made her heart race
her lips pull into a smile
Her fingers slipped through mine so that
I didn’t have to watch the floor
the Eckleberg eyes around me disappeared
when the ice was slippery or a rock was in my way
I would hold her hand tighter
She told me after she fell in love with me
that my scars were one of her favorite parts of me
that they were special
that they should be shown off
but that she felt special being the only one
I let examine them up close
Now I know my footsteps sound like her heartbeat
Now I know my scars drew just enough attention
to me because they brought me to her
Honor Ford
Honor Ford is a junior Creative Writing and Theatre Studies dual major from Furlong, PA. She's been writing for as long as she can remember, incorporating disability narrative, as well as LGBTQ narrative, into any pieces in which she is able. She had the opportunity to present an original play during her senior year of high school, performed by a dedicated group of her peers. Her essay, The Bumblebee Necklace, has been published by TeenInk, and she was a finalist in the Bucks County Poet Laureate competition for two years in a row.