This villanelle describes the feeling of being trapped in a body that does not feel like your own; the repetition of the form embodies the haunting thoughts of mental illness or other paralyzing fear

Mitchell, Anne

English

Augustana College, Illinois: Augustana Digital Commons

Augustana CollegeAugustana Digital CommonsVázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award Prizewinners2017trappedAnne MitchellAugustana College, Rock Island IllinoisFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/vazquezvalarezoPart of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Poetry CommonsThis Creative Writing is brought to you for free and open access by the Prizewinners at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusionin Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award by an authorized administrator of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@augustana.edu.Augustana Digital Commons CitationMitchell, Anne. "trapped" (2017). Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award.http://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/vazquezvalarezo/3Augustana CollegeAugustana Digital CommonsVázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award Prizewinners2017trappedAnne MitchellAugustana College, Rock Island IllinoisFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/vasquezvalarezoPart of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Poetry CommonsThis Creative Writing is brought to you for free and open access by the Prizewinners at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusionin Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award by an authorized administrator of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@augustana.edu.Augustana Digital Commons CitationMitchell, Anne. "trapped" (2017). Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award.http://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/vasquezvalarezo/5trapped by Annie Mitchell   If you’re in a body without control, it’s like when your teeth choose to chatter.  If you aren’t there, then are you whole?  We say to lose weight is a divine goal. The loss of matter might make you matter, if you’re in a body without. Control.   But you will grieve the body they stole, entombed with words intended to flatter, if you aren’t there. Then are you whole?  Don’t they know that Phantom’s toll, slicing synapses with his dagger,  if you’re in a body without control?  Paralyzed, trapped, in a six-foot hole. Can’t stop the shivers, no choice but to shatter If you aren’t there, then are you whole?   A battle between body and soul, you have no idea where your ashes will scatter. If you’re in a body, without control if you aren’t there, then are you whole?  

trapped

https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=vazquezvalarezo

trapped

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Augustana College, Illinois: Augustana Digital Commons