Hips
once swayed,
teased and played,
ran, danced, squatted.
Pregnant widening:
Superb childbearing hips
allowed such easy passage.
Four babies perched on healthy joints
acting as seat, swing or sweet haven.
Strong and stable, hips balanced my body.
Ball and socket stopped working like clockwork,
complaining about some extra weight.
A small ache wormed its way inside:
stiff, swollen, sore and inflamed.
Osteoarthritis
destroyed cartilage.
Used gels, ice packs,
frozen peas.
Poor old
hips.
9/7/2026
The Words That Got to Me
Superb childbearing hips *Absolutely fantastic. A source of pride! frozen peas. *Hahaha. We file that under "whatever works."
This was great for a number of reasons. Let me count the ways: 1) The SHAPE! It clever resembles a woman's body with the widest part - ten syllables, in writer's terms... - the HIPS!! So symbolic! 2.) The beginning half - "the building up," if you will - described all the positives, and then the "downward slope" of their life became smaller and smaller. 3.) The positives in the first half made the listing of them in the second half hit hard. They didn't land as "complaints," but rather, genuine losses. 4.) The title. HAHAHAHAHAH You thought of everything with this and made it clever as well as honest. Great Challenge contender, for sure!! xoxo