ugly in most cases—pointy, seamed,
scarred from past encounters with contact
sports, door jams, and counters. Is
there a secret inscription, strike here,
hidden in the skin folds?

Intense electric shock courses through
one’s body when that hinge is struck and
reverberates like a gong opening Valhalla
in a Wagnerian scene. A stinging paralysis
of pain follows.

But it is a valuable hinge—useful for lifting
a wine glass to eager lips, waving broadly
to a crowd, and throwing arms around a
loved one. Fortunately, your own elbow’s
ugliness is almost impossible for you to see.


© by Norma Wightman.
Used with the author’s permission.