“Wonder Twin powers activate,”
I whispered, and then I yelled,
I screamed, over and over, but
Zan could no longer hear me.
We didn’t know we could die.
It had never happened before.
The doctors never knew what
it was, exactly: a heart attack,
a stroke, or just some fatal
mismatch between our bodies
and Earth. None of them came,
the Super Friends, and Gleek
had long since died, of mange
and fatty liver, neither of which
we could cure with any form
of water or animal. I’m alone
now. My powers were never
all that great, to be honest,
and now they’re good for
nothing. Without Zan, I am
only half here, only half alive.
I own a comic book store. I grew
out my hair, but most days,
I pull it back to show my ears.
I don’t know if anyone notices,
but no one ever says, “Jayna,
is that you?” I never hear my
name at all anymore, or our
signature phrase. No one ever
liked us much, anyway; Zan and I
aren’t real heroes, were invented
only for the cartoon, people say,
as if any of us can help the way
we were born. Sometimes I talk
to Zan when I’m lonely and when
there are no customers. I invent
a problem, other than this one
that can never be solved. I call
out a form: “Polar bear!” I can
hear him shout his: “Iceberg!”
But I know it’s just my mind—
and the door of the shop,
rattling in its frame. Even if he
could speak to me, somehow,
it would still be worthless,
I would still be powerless,
not able to activate myself
until he and I can touch.
NaPoWriMo, Day 14 prompt: Write in the persona of a superhero or supervillain.
Marilyn Rauch Cavicchia 
Awwwww… Poor Wonder Twins.
I know! Touch-activated powers have some real limitations.
I never hear my / name at all anymore, or our / signature phrase.
So heartrending.
Thanks … I felt sorry for her. Twin grief times a thousand.
This may be your most wondrous persona poem yet.
Thank you! You know I love persona poems. It was nice to have a NaPoWriMo prompt that felt a little easier.
What a poem Marilyn!
god to see that you’re abiding by their prompts (which I’m ever reluctant to do)….
BTW in case you’re into superhero movies, Iron Man 3 is about to be released in coming month… cheers 🙂
Thanks! Many times, I find the prompts pretty challenging. There’s always at least one or two that I almost skip because they look too hard. But in the end, I enjoy the chance to stretch. 🙂
This broke my heart. You get me every time. You pull me so far into your words, that it takes a moment to catch my breath again. I become mesmerized and forget to breathe. Dang, Girl!
Wow. Thank you so much! I don’t even know what to say … just thank you for these incredibly kind words.