Phantoms and Foreigners (Divergence)

Limbs are limbs,
We think. But, I 
Don’t. 

When a 
Phantom 
Can hurt,
A foreigner demand 
removal,
How? 
The common element is paralysis not motion.

Oppressed 
By arms and legs:
“They don’t belong 
To me but keep 
Clinging to 
My Torso.” 
Tracking
The first 21 Days 
Of life, vindicates
The immediacy and
The primacy of
The Torso.

You can trick 
The phantom limb 
Out of its 
Limbo and its 
Pain, with sight.

When I was 15, 
I was Very sick 
in Spain. In my
Fever dreams I 
Tumble flipped down 
A mat: a gymnast. 
For many days. 
My mind could 
Sweat the disease 
Out this 
Way.

I built my 
Future life this 
Way.

This poem is in response to the Writing 201 fingers/prose poem/assonance assignment AND to the Blacklight Candelabra Divergence Challenge. The post was also inspired by VS Ramachandran’s TED Talk from October 2007 entitled “3 clues to understanding your brain.” The featured image is “Corridor in the asylum” by Vincent Van Gogh painted in 1889. The original can be found in the Museum of Modern Art, New York. All works by Van Gogh (1853-1890) are in the public domain.