The Knee Poem

by Lindsey Lane

This poem is my personal pick for the Editor’s Choice Award in Poetry. It is both topical and universal while also encapsulating both the political and personal aspects of the poet. It accomplishes this without excess. Unfortunately, due to my own error the entire poem did not make it into the journal. I apologize to Ms. Lane for that oversight and we will print the entire poem in the next edition. Here it is in it’s entirety. For maximum effect, read it twice.

 

The Knee Poem

 

Skinned knees

Scabby knees

Fall out of a tree and pick yourself up knees

 

Tucked knees

Cannon ball tight knees

Make a splash knees

 

Knobby kneed

Knock kneed

Nylons bagging, trying to grow up too fast knees

 

These knees

These knees

These simply bending

Knees

 

Silky knees

Charleston knees

Playing peekaboo behind hands knees

Teasing like winking eyes under skirts knees

 

Ooo…the bee’s knees

Make me weak in the knees

Crawl across hot sand and broken glass a million miles to kiss those knees

Swooning, fall into your arms knees.

 

These knees

These knees

These simply bending

Knees

 

Scarred knees

Scrubbing floors knees

Twenty bucks-a-pop knees

Please don’t. I’ll never do it again knees.

 

Wounded knee

Boy, Get on your knees

Put your hands behind your back knees

Knee jerk, gun to the head knees

 

Fuck no

Take a knee

Bent knee

Bent down

Bent over

Bent up

Bent too long

Worn out

These knees can be replaced

 

Kneeling knees

Prayer knees

Feeling small at the alter of something big knees

 

Dig in the earth, dirt stained knees

Chubby baby wobbling into your lap knees

Begin again, crawling out of the muck knees.

 

These knees

These knees

They simply bend.

 

Lindsey Lane (Austin , Texas) was inspired to write this poem by the incarcerated women at Lane Murray Unit to whom she bows down.