Mandy J. Beattie

BE STILL

Horizontal, motionless I
stare at the ceiling
four walls a prison of
inner reflection &
enforced immobility
my gaze turns
inwards to muse on
what might be, as
my mind wanders
the roads my limbs
cannot take.
I've done too much
now I must pay
these costs I can
ill afford

As my bladder becomes
laden I wonder
how will I ascend from
proneness to relieve
myself of this indignity?
Even my lungs don't
answer the call to rise
& fall. Solar plexus
shallow as the grave
Am I dead yet?
Can you see my
breath in the mirror
of life?

Mandy J. Beattie hails from Wick, Caithness, Scotland. She is studying for a PhD in disability and feminism and as if that isn't enough, also attends an evening class in creative writing. As an 'addendum' she is also 'currently' evolving alongside M.E. & Multiple Allergies.