PEOPLE INCORPORATED PEOPLE INCORPORATED

temporary or permanent
16 people incorporated
Once I was sitting in an overstuffed chair at Barnes and Noble,
on my cell phone, talking to my student loan company.
They wanted to know why I wasn’t making any payments.
They were nice about it though.
I told them I was disabled,
acutely aware that anyone could overhear.
And they asked,“Is it temporary or permanent?”
I fell into silence for a moment.
“Ma’am,” the voice said,“is it temporary or permanent?”
“I hope it isn’t permanent,” I said.
And that was the heart of it: what would become of me
if it were permanent?
Many times my intelligence has been listed
as one of my strengths on my treatment plans.
I couldn’t tell where my intelligence was getting me,
but I was bright enough to be excruciatingly aware
that my life was in serious trouble.