The Artwork: Ankle 1 & Ankle 2
The Poem: Ode to My Unappreciated Ankles
I’m sorry to my ankles,
my feet, my toes.
You have taken me
to the ends of the Earth,
along balance beams,
over tilted rooftops,
and across the burning asphalt
of my childhood.
I never thanked you –
only prayed you could
jump higher, run faster
and assuredly strut
into the arms of a waiting fiction.
Only pushed you through
sprains and shin splints,
shoved you towards
that which we should have
walked on by.
I turned you into
vultures
circling around
the lives of others,
cursed you
for what we could not have,
left you
cracked and dried.
Now I must paint you in gold
drape you in flowers
anoint your callused heart
with all the perfumed oil
held in this alabaster jar.
How else should I thank you,
my feet,
my crux,
my foundation!