Tyrone Cobb

BROKEN MIRROR*

She breathed into the mirror
And polished the fogged glass
With her neckerchief
To bring her shadow into light
And imagine the origin myths
Of Wonder Woman in a wheelchair–
The hair, the fashion, the look–
Paralyzed by a drunk driver

Or

      as she texted "CUL8R"
      east of Bakersfield
      and drove her red Corvette
      into a Mack truck hauling chickens

Or

      as she stood in the left lane of Abbey Road
      in northwest London
      and snapped a cell phone picture
      of four friends crossing the walk

Or

      as she failed to resurface
      the waters of Playa del Carmen
      and her blue Speedo boyfriend
     dove from the cliffs to rescue her

Born disabled, the mirror gazer
Tossed aside fantasies of her own origin
Along with the looking glass
Which failed to capture
The reflections of her heart.

* * *

LIMITATIONS

Listen to Audio Version

Two hours past noon,
The sun shined on Paula,
Withered in a sweaty bikini,
Rubber wheelchair tires stuck to the hot pool deck,
As she simmered, " I cannot wait to get into the water. "

She always wanted to swim by herself,
But she needed help.
She waited
       and waited
Until her attendant, Eric, arrived
                                          late again.
His flip flops navigated the sunbathers beached around the pool.
He encouraged her,
"Do not worry about the stuff you cannot do by yourself.
Focus on the things you can."

Later,
     floated on her life jacketed back,
Hovered above Eric's muscled arms,
Paula stretched boney legs out into the cool water,
Like a jammed rudder,
And focused on the waves her paddlewheel arms created
As they strove for independence,
And she wondered what she would accomplish next.

*"Broken Mirror" and "Limitations" are based upon stories written by Tyrone Cobb and adapted by André Le Mont Wilson. See Wilson's essay "Ghosts and Poets" in this issue of Wordgathering.

Tyrone Cobb is a 36-year-old emerging African-American storyteller with Cerebral Palsy in Union City, California. As a teen, he volunteered telling stories to young people at the Boys and Girls Club throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He later dictated stories and poems to family, to friends, or to the Dragon voice recognition software. He runs a T-shirt and greeting card business at the Cerebral Palsy Center for the Bay Area, Inc. in Oakland.