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Touching the Wild Shape of Poetry
Well, this essay was supposed to enter a contest, but it doesn’t meet the specifics. So I’ll share it with you instead! ***** Last semester, I returned home after a long day of teaching and found a large flat box on my bed. I could just make out a logo in the top left corner,…
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Twinkle Toes
In my hand, I am holding a bottle of O.P.I. Shanghai Shimmer, a dark rosy nail polish. I step forward to occupy the chair that the pedicurist has indicated. As I stand beside it, shrugging off my navy ruffled cardigan, she rushes forward to offer her help. She takes my large red purse, accepts my…
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Uncommon Reader
On Friday morning, I sit across from Elena, a soft-spoken student with a thick Cuban accent. She is a cellist and a dear friend who struggles with writing in English. She explains that she needs help with an essay assignment for one of her music theory courses. Her voice is gentle and husky, full of…
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Quelle Surprise: A Celebration of the Unexpected
For a while now, I’ve been promising On the Blink readers that I’d celebrate my 40th subscriber with a special entry, a post revealing previously unknown, securely guarded facts about blindness that will shock and amaze. Well, it turns out that On the Blink is celebrating its 41st subscription, so I’m going to unveil one…
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Guiding with Grace
On an overcast afternoon, the car pulls to a stop in front of the bright diagonal lines and the short sidewalk. I open my door, unfold my cane, and trail the car—keeping my hand against it until I reach the right passenger door. There, I hear the familiar clicks of another cane unfolding as Henry,…
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Mind Over Matter
Yesterday, on the trail of poets with disabilities, I came across the following book review. For poet Craig Romkema’s collection, Embracing the Sky: Poems Beyond Disability, Amazon.com had this to say: “In this collection of poems, Craig Romkema describes the daily journey of an individual whose body is encumbered with the symptoms of autism and…
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The Editor and the Edifice
“I’m not very good at this,” he says, smoothing out his page of single-spaced writing. “You want me to read it aloud?” I nod. “And read your punctuation as well, please.” “Okay…” he clears his throat and begins shakily. Several times a week, this exchange repeats—with different students and occasional variations in the dialogue. Two…
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Blind Teacher
On final exam day, I sit at the front of a quiet classroom, listening attentively for the sound of my students writing. Pens are a lot quieter than they used to be; I can barely hear them marking their papers. The test, four pages of literary terms and grammar exercises, is free response, so I…
About Me
Emily K. Michael is a blind poet, musician, and writing instructor. She serves as the poetry editor for Wordgathering at Syracuse University. She is also a poetry mentor in AWP’s Writer to Writer program. Her work focuses on music, embodiment, teaching, and ecology. Emily is passionate about birds, medieval history, singing, and guide dogs.
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Recent Posts
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