A Curious Moon

By Charlie Lauter

Cancer 𖤓 | Virgo ⏾ | Capricorn ↑

My foot fell asleep last Tuesday.
I was at my desk, right leg folded,
foot tucked beneath my left knee
ankle pinned, compressed,
dangling over the plastic chair.

It was just after lunch.
I like it when this happens.
That moment before sensation returns,
before the nerves revolt,
holds me perfectly still.

Pins and needles bloom,
as if my foot were lowered
into television static.
The hiss and crackle
soaking through my polka-dotted sock,
trapped inside a worn canvas shoe.

We learn this kind of posture early.
How to sit wrong, then call it normal.
How to wait for the pain
and let it justify movement,
before we move at all.

Before the cramp rises in my calf
and locks the joint in a snap,

I grit my teeth.
I did this to myself.
I think most of us do it without realizing it.

Charlie Lauter is a queer writer who lives and works in Los Angeles.