by Kristie L. Williams

I asked you to use
flyer miles
before
I am locked
in the circumstance
of my body

betrayed
by disabled limbs
whose only function
is to subtract
autonomy
by degrees

you suggest we facetime
while I count
random variants
on crooked fingers

terrified by how
my freedoms
will be
divided

through a process
of elimination

I notice
your packed
suitcase
is not a factor
in my request

you are going
on a “save the animals”
retreat

imbued with the righteous
notion that no
creature
shall be denied its
native habitat

insisting that zoos
by definition
have become dioroma’d
prison camps

even if
original intent
may have included
conservation

you promise
my transition into institutionalized living
will be humane

oblivious
to the fact that I
am about to be
caged