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every morning at 9 am,
5
October 17th, 2009writing/poetryi wrap my hand around her
skinny denim thigh
preparing myself for what will
come nexttoday i notice how loud both our lungs
heave
our breathing has a pattern of its own,
complete synchronicitynew partners in a familiar dance
we are always in experiment
gliding, sidestepping,
mixing new techniques with old maneuverswe could do this with eyes closed. bodies pressed against each other. hands waiting patiently in case guidance is needed. but dislocated hips, sore muscles and occasional miscalculations of space-body-fatigue-location make it otherwise. each day is a detailed study of her swing of arm, my shift in weight, any step taken out of order. there is always a constant desire to improve our performance.
she goes back to pushing down & i press my arm even harder against her flesh. this old trunk throws out its branches, reaching for any kind of balance
she notices my uneasiness and pulls me into hermy face brushed up against her chest, i see again the fresh scar
she hides.
when will she trust that this is one place she doesn’t have to cover?
surely she sees all of mine.we continue to wrestle
pelvis fighting cotton, spine confronting buckle, body resisting the assimilation that comes with wearing clothes. arms join forces while legs watch idly by, refusing to offer up help or take sidesfinally we are victorious and i am dressed,
ready for the day. back in my chair i thank her,
curious if she too sees how poetic our caregiving
routines can be
4 responses to “every morning at 9 am,” 
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You’re writing so much and so well at the moment.XD
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DaisyDeadhead October 21st, 2009 at 06:52
You are a phenomenal writer, never stop the scribbling, no matter if its on fast-food napkins or wherever it is. :)
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cripchick October 25th, 2009 at 13:53
thank you daisy. so many voices of doubt it is good to hear encouragement.
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cripchick
Cripchick is a queer disabled corean-american living and loving in North Carolina. Cripchick is a 22 year old youth organizer who has been working in the youth arm of the Disability Rights Movement since high school. She is most interested in using poetry, community organizing and media as a way to cut through isolation that marginalized people often face. Cripchick is a radical woman of color feminist and believes in the power of people coming together.
you can say hi by clicking on the post titled and leaving a comment, emailing her at consciouslycrip[at]gmail
[dot]com, or on twitter.
A Few Projects Cripchick Is Involved With
Cripchick is facilitating a satellite campus in her local community for School of Our Lorde. School of Our Lorde is an effort to bring people together to study the poetics, pedagogy, politics and publishing of feminist warrior poet Audre Lorde. You can join an existing campus, participate by distance learning or start your own campus! To find out more, visit: http://summerofourlorde.wordpress.com/
Disability Justice Track at the Allied Media Conference
The Allied Media Conference is an annual gathering where artists, media makers and activists come together to talk media strategies for community building. Cripchick is working with other disabled people to create the first ever Disability Justice track--- a space where we people will dissect a disability justice analysis and have time to talk about the way disability shapes our work as cultural activists, media makers and activists. You can find out more at http://alliedmediaconference.org
Disabled Young People's Collective's first ever Activism, Community, Empowerment Summit
Cripchick is an active member with the Disabled Young People's Collective, a crew of disabled youth working to get free in NC. DYP is organizing a 6 day event in August for disabled youth between the ages 16-24 to come together and learn about disability justice, organizing, and community building. To get an application or find out more, visit http://thedypcollective.org
sanabituranima October 18th, 2009 at 06:05