Inica Kotasthane (14)
framework of the soul
ribs are the steel structures of the body,
concrete-filled molds
that weave through arteries and veins
keeping the most lethargic of people
awake and exposed.
ribs are the strongest barrier between skin and mind
exerting pressure more intense than the human will.
they withstand the most blows:
the crushing hug of a last goodbye
the crunching punch of unprecedented revenge.
ribs, though silent and overlooked
speak louder than so-called body language.
each caved in, hunched over, fetal position
protects a half-broken heart
hidden beneath railroad tracks of bone.
ribs are the corset in one’s interior that hold the sobs in,
the torso of the emotionless mannequin
whose contained feelings threaten to spill over.
the cage of cartilage refusing for love to pass
in or out.
Inica Kotasthane is a fourteen-year-old poet who attends Warren Middle School in Warren, New Jersey. Kotasthane has been published in Skipping Stones, New Moon Girls, Writer's Slate, and The Showcase Magazine. She has also won as the Grand Prize Winner in TIME for Kids' National Poetry Contest 2017, first place in the Middle School Division of The Writing Conference's 2018 Poetry Contest, and has received a National Silver Medal in the 2018 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her poetry collection. In her free time, Kotasthane plays flute in her school band and lacrosse on her local team.
framework of the soul
ribs are the steel structures of the body,
concrete-filled molds
that weave through arteries and veins
keeping the most lethargic of people
awake and exposed.
ribs are the strongest barrier between skin and mind
exerting pressure more intense than the human will.
they withstand the most blows:
the crushing hug of a last goodbye
the crunching punch of unprecedented revenge.
ribs, though silent and overlooked
speak louder than so-called body language.
each caved in, hunched over, fetal position
protects a half-broken heart
hidden beneath railroad tracks of bone.
ribs are the corset in one’s interior that hold the sobs in,
the torso of the emotionless mannequin
whose contained feelings threaten to spill over.
the cage of cartilage refusing for love to pass
in or out.
Inica Kotasthane is a fourteen-year-old poet who attends Warren Middle School in Warren, New Jersey. Kotasthane has been published in Skipping Stones, New Moon Girls, Writer's Slate, and The Showcase Magazine. She has also won as the Grand Prize Winner in TIME for Kids' National Poetry Contest 2017, first place in the Middle School Division of The Writing Conference's 2018 Poetry Contest, and has received a National Silver Medal in the 2018 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for her poetry collection. In her free time, Kotasthane plays flute in her school band and lacrosse on her local team.