200 Words: Broken Bones

[Short form Creative Writing]

In 2019, I broke my ankle while carelessly riding a segway. The injury left me with a lot of time to think. And to write. So, I did a little creative writing exercise reflecting on the injury.

Collagen. Calcium phosphate. Phosphorous. 

[These are the things that my bones are made of] 

And they’re dependent on other muscles, tendons, and tissues…

Ligaments attach to the ends of bones to form joints. Joints connect each bone to the other. Fluid-filled sacs, called bursas, cushion the friction caused by the joints. And tendons attach to the muscles, controlling movement. This is just a small sampling of the oft-ignored intricacies that govern my body’s wellness and mobility.

And frankly, I just don’t spend much time thinking about the human anatomy or how this complex system of science-y stuff relates to my physical abilities and limitations. 

It just is. It just does. Until it isn’t. Until it doesn’t. 

Until, like a careless child, I interrupt it. Until I am absorbed entirely in the present, and I’m doing something I just shouldn’t do. 

Blink once, and everything changes. The fun’s over. 

Turns out my body isn’t indestructible. When I push it too far, when I don’t respect its limitations, I’m painfully reminded of its vulnerability.

Muscles ache. Blood rushes to form a pool beneath the surface of my skin.

Resting. Elevating. Icing. Limping.

[These are the things that my days are made of]