Recipe for Madness

Based on “Translating the Crip” by Laura Hershey

I need no explanation short of miracle but still you ask
I’ll tell you my secret

When I say sick I mean nobody can save me if you deny my power
When I say magic I mean dancing and talking to myself for days
When I say survival I mean waking up but leaving brothers and sisters behind
When I say fire I mean some days I’m flying but other days I’m burning up
When I say prayer I mean the whisper you attribute to my madness

When I say horizon I mean I’ve made up my mind to survive
When I say future I won’t let anyone tell me how to live
When I say love I mean my crazy femme self

Angela Y. Law is a special education teacher in New York City, a first time mother and a mental health advocate. Her works have been published in Mount Holyoke College Asian American Sisters in Action Fall 2016 journal, Quail Bell magazine, Visual Verse journal, the Voices and Visions journal, and the Flawless Brown online journal based in San Francisco. She spends her days thinking about witty rebuttals to her middle school students, pop culture references and how to support teen growth through humor and sarcasm.