Sylvian Seizure
Olivia Stowell

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they say my sister’s seizures
start in the central sulcus
of her brain

the ambulance is like
a speedboat in traffic
but i am in my bedroom
bandaging a canvas
with elmer’s glue

she cannot ride space mountain
until she outgrows
her epilepsy

my cousin takes me for
a walk around the block
and we wait

the night is like
waiting to get your driver’s license

my sister is like a statue
she later tells us
she could see everything
she could not speak

my brother heard her feet
slamming against the carpet

i cannot breathe
when they grasp the thing
that makes my sister’s body
shake
and own it, name it
benign.