KNEE BRACE PRESS

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

Let Down

By

I feel them looking at me
when did I last let down my hair
they don’t understand
why I can’t
be more like them
it’s easy, they say
just do it
yet I let them down at every turn

but my body is the real letdown
no matter how much
I want to be different
my body is the same
so I let them down easy this time
as I feel my body
letting down its defenses
once again

Contributor

  • A white person with long, blonde hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a red and white plaid shirt.

    Sarah Steinbacher (she/they) is a disabled nonbinary author, poet, disability advocate, instructor at The Writing Barn, and member of both SCBWI and Storyteller Academy. In 2023, she was named a PB Rising Stars Honorable Mention and a #KidLitZombieWeek winner. Her publication credits include The Dirigible Balloon, Tyger Tyger, Tap into Poetry, Exchange, and upcoming issues of both PaperBound and Paper Teeth Press.