Supriya's Banter
Have you ever seen?
The coal-black clouds clamoring ‘n clanking against the sky,
And the gnarled old oak, braiding its boughs’ n breathing a sigh,
When a seething silver spear of lightning slashes across its core,
The sap simmers; the steam explodes, splintering its every pore,
The root retches’ n writhes, but the oak stands, sans superficial scars,
And the horror hisses’ n hums, clawing ‘n cleaving, never too far.
I am that oaken wood,
Shaken ‘n shattered, withered ‘n wounded, gashed ‘n gulped to the bones,
With no proof to parade, nothing to explain the guttural groans muted moans.
– Snippet from my poem Lost in Labyrinth(But You Don’t Look Sick: The Real Life Adventures of Fibro Bitches, Lupus Warriors, and Other Superheroes Battling Invisible Illness- Hardcover/paperback/Kindle)
But You Don’t Look Sick: The Real Life Adventures of Fibro Bitches, Lupus Warriors, and other Superheroes Battling Invisible Illness features 123 powerful voices living with invisible chronic illnesses— voices often stigmatized, ignored, or isolated by society. These pages are emblazoned with the words and art of those waging war against a wide range of debilitating and often unseen illnesses. The reader will journey deep into the contributors’ lives, intimately sharing moments of pain, heartbreak, loneliness, strength, courage, humor, and survival. These voices are both revelation and revolution, an unstoppable force pieced together by writers and artists worldwide, demonstrating what happens when warriors come together to educate and fight for their truths to be heard.
I am super stoked to have my poem – Lost in Labyrinth, find a place amidst pieces from immensely talented, internationally acclaimed poets, writers, and artists.
It is available in Kindle, softcover, and a hardback edition on Amazon and a softcover and eBook version on Pothi (India).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1951724143?ref_=nav_youraccount_switchacct
https://store.pothi.com/book/christine-e-ray-you-don%E2%80%99t-look-sick/
“[But You Don’t Look Sick] exposes the gendered, racialized and class-based inequalities that persist within the realms of diagnosis and healthcare provision, while underscoring the urgency of activism, education and the ongoing fight for justice for individuals with invisible illnesses.”
– Dr. Tanfer Emin Tunc, Professor of American Studies at Hacettepe University
“Above all, however, But You Don’t Look Sick is a powerful human showing of how opening to one’s pain generates courage and helps spread awareness. By opening the heart and manifesting compassion, this book helps drive change.”
– Jaya Avendel, Author & the poetic voice behind Nin Chronicles
