ain’t never been wise

stop calling me superstitious now—i have medical proof that all of this has just been brushes with luck. i mean more than the way i have apparently been a scarecrow since birth, wisdom toothless. you’re very lucky, the dentist says, and to be clear, i have never for a moment disagreed with her. i have survived, roachlike, despite pesticides and numerous footfalls, accidental and on purpose, purely by the grace of whoever wakes up and decides to clip my wings every time they grow back. i luck out, crawl to safety, live unbothered for a while. they grow back. i go looking for luck again.

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nat raum is a queer disabled artist, writer, and editor based on unceded Piscataway and Susquehannock land in Baltimore. Past and upcoming publishers of their writing include Split Lip Magazine, Poetry.onl, Baltimore Beat, Poet Lore, beestung, and others. Find them online at natraum.com.