Shoulder Blades
- Apr 25, 2025
- 1 min read
by Paula Gil-Ordoñez Gomez
I love Brooklyn because most people I love are here. I’m trying to be more present — smoking at different intervals on assorted elevations, making eye contact in the elevator. Late one night someone banged on my door. I was itching for some action, after five days I finally swallowed. I pulled a back muscle. There is something wrong with my body. On the internet I find the prettiest doctor in Greenpoint. She says I am very stressed. Her Polish accent convinces me that long walks will regulate my cortisol levels. I have been walking for twenty-six years. I discover wind feels good on my shoulder blades, I take my shirt off. Some people like that, some people yell. All that shame falls asleep in my gums at night.
Paula Gil-Ordoñez Gomez is a Mexican-Spanish-American poet based in Brooklyn. Her writing has been published in HAD, Variant Lit, X-R-A-Y, and Rejection Letters, among others. She is a 2024 Periplus Fellow. Say hi on Twitter @paulagilordonez and find more of her work at paulagilordonezgomez.com.
