Neurodivergent

It isn't on my skin

Pockmarks to be concealed 

Cuts to be bandaged

Applied soothing ointment

Or on my body

Broken limbs

To be healed

Paraplegia

Blindness

To be accommodated

Diabetes

High blood pressure

To be medicated

You can't see it

Except for the shakes

Of my hands and knees

Brain fog

Phobias

I can't even explain

Fear of heights

Train tracks

The insults come first

Klutz

A few screws loose

Before diagnosis of anxiety

Bipolar disorder

Any attempt to put a finger

On my intangible illness

Jackie Chou

Jackie Chou is a neurodivergent poet residing in sunny Southern California, who writes to capture fragile and ephemeral thoughts and experiences and make them into something meaningful, worthy, and artistic. Her work has been published internationally.