A paper can be folded seven times.
Each crease across my origami skin
is sharp enough to slice. I’ve tried to thin
my bones and sinews, ink myself in lines
so small, so shrinking, safe to overlook—
passed between palms, a secret note in school,
crumpled and cast into a fire as fuel,
or pressed between the pages of a book
and fast forgotten. Still, I seem to spread
like maps of unmourned continents, shredded
confetti scattered to the careless wind.
Whole sheets of me unfurl above your head,
stretch out beneath your feet, a carpeted
offense. Forgive me. This is my last bend.
(Editors’ Note: “Making Accommodations” is read by Joy Piedmont on the Uncanny Magazine Podcast, Episode 37B.)
© 2020 Valerie Valdes
Valerie Valdes’s work has been featured in Uncanny Magazine, Time Travel Short Stories, and Nightmare Magazine. Her debut novel Chilling Effect was named one of Library Journal’s best SF/fantasy novels of 2019; the sequel, Prime Deceptions, is available now. Join her in opining about books, video games and parenting on Twitter @valerievaldes.