I have metal
Sewn into my bones
Just beneath my skin
Invisible to sight
But run your fingers up my spine
And you’ll see every screw

Two rods
Twenty-one screws
Tailbone to throat
All to hold me straight
Make me stand up tall

They said it would hurt
That it would hurt a lot
But that was better than letting it progress
Of course I didn’t believe them
I was strong
I was tough
Tears never came easy
And I doubted they would for this

I was strong
I was tough
But that didn’t matter all that much
Six days
Seven nights
Laying in a bed with a control panel on the side
And a button for asistance
Riding a morphine hurricane
Barely awake enough to watch tv

I’m better now
Much better than I was
No more hospital
No more drugs
No more pain
Just me
And the metal in my bones