KNEE BRACE PRESS

A place for stories about chronic illness, disability, mental health, and neurodivergence.

Ache Awake

By

Every part of me aches
Like cracks in the ground
Like an earthquake rising from under the surface
Percussion on my body
Magma boiling

Every part of me aches
And sleep comes like waves
Under the moon

In my head
The sound of a whistling kettle
That can’t be removed from the flame
My bones are on the fire
Listen to the crackle when I rise
And shift

Contributor

  • A black and white photo depicts a person with a small smile. They are crossing their arms over a black button up with small white dogs. Their hair is short and they wear round glasses.

    DMV-based poet Sojourner “Hughes” Davidson enjoys exploring politics, identity, relationships, the mind, and the body in their work. Davidson believes poetry is felt both emotionally and physically, and a poem is great when it reaches the reader in both places.