"Ode to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy"

Breath & Shadow

Spring 2020 - Vol. 17, Issue 2

"Ode to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy"

written by

Author

some days i feel like a snake shedding my skin

cells dying and falling being replaced

to make a new body new brain

new me

every seven years

all of our cells are replaced we have a new body

rebirth

some days i feel like a snake shedding my skin

scales fall off to reveal shinier ones

the personality i’ve been growing inside me for so long

old body dies in pieces

hands cracking from

being washed again and

asking for reassurance for my birthday speaking at a mile a minute

with eyes that light up for the wrong things

i killed her

so new scales could grow in her place

i don’t know if i like my new skin of blueprints stolen

cut and molded scales

but it turns me from a snake

to a chameleon

finally, i shed my fangs

Elizabeth Blackwell is a teenage poet from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was a finalist for Ann Arbor Youth Poet Laureate two years in a row and her work has been performed at slams, rallies, and showcases. When she isn't writing, she splits her time between community organizing and high school. She is currently working on a novel.