Day 537: brittle

prompt:
write your life story in 250 words or less.
then write it in a sentence
then in a word

1.

I am born to a family that recognizes the prophecy of a name- mine speaks of music. When I am 6 my brother tells me I was born with a penis- I am too afraid to ask my parents for fear they will confirm this. I watch Oprah and cry at the other misunderstood transgendered children. When I am 12 I learn to read and write in English- the same year I realize I am half white. I hate my mother for it. When I am 13 and get my period, I learn that I am a woman. I do not know what this means except that I am not like the confused kids on TV. I am different. So I spend the next 5 years finding a new way to fit into this skin. When I am 17- the doctors tell me I have the joints of an 80 year old woman. I am brittle. I will have known this since birth. When I am 19, I meet the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with. My parents love her. Her parents tolerate me. We break up. My parents cry. Her’s are silent. We fall somewhere in between. I cry on my 20th birthday and for the first time in over a year I do not write a poem. When I am ready, I will travel the world writing songs for beautiful women. And When I die, I will be younger than they expected. I will remember the names of all of my gods. I will write each of them a poem- realizing I should have done that all along.


2.
I am born, half white-brittle-and woman, constantly looking for a more comfortable way to fit into this skin while writing poems to gods I’ve forgotten the names of.


3.
Brittle.