Lucky Bone
I have an extra bone
near my Achilles tendon –
a gift, a trick of genetics.
Os Trigonum, described as an extra accessory
like a handbag or a spare pair of slippers.
Like the lucky rabbit whose foot was removed
or the tiger whose bone hangs around your neck
I do not curse that which keeps me
from perfect pointe work in ballet,
a career as a star soccer player.
I only pray it brings someone better luck
when they pick up my skeleton,
hold the little oddity
in their hands, marvel at the strangeness of the body,
our little hidden treasures.
Jeannine Hall Gailey recently served as the Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington and is the author of three books of poetry, Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, and Unexplained Fevers. Her web site is www.webbish6.com.
Copyright © 2014 by Jeannine Gailey