Dyslexia
So much more than God
becoming a dog.
Synapses stretched tight,
lactic acid in muscles straining,
the mind cramps, clamps shut.
Aching explosions ignite
a thrown book, splintered pencil,
lying lines on the teacher’s face.
The word must be delivered,
pushed out into the world
in excruciating labor.
The contractions start again.
*
Camille Lebel, mother to 7, lives on a hobby farm outside Memphis, TN where she enjoys mucking out horse stalls and weeding the garden. She writes poetry about evangelical deconstruction, purity culture, special-needs parenting, adoption, and more while she waits in the school pick-up line. She’s recently published in Rogue Agent, Black Fox Literary Magazine, Sledgehammer Lit, Sparks of Calliope, and more. You can find her on Instagram @clebelwords
