pain and strife

I walk through the park
surrounded by the abstract
my limbs unsteady, my mind cloudy

most people avoid my gaze
their eyes dart away as I approach
as if I'm a contagious disease

but I don't blame them
I know I look different
I'm not like them, not anymore

sometimes I wonder
if they can sense my pain
if they know what it's like
to be trapped inside a broken body

but I don't dwell on it
I keep walking, keep moving
pain and strife; it's not the life
I wanted or expected

maybe one day
I'll find my place in this world
maybe I'll learn to walk straight again
but until then, I'll embrace the wobble
and keep going
one shaky step at a time.