Sunday Essay: Flesh and Bones

The Rumpus Sunday Essay: Flesh and Bones

Consider the clavicle.

Clavicles, actually. There are two of them, the darlings, the slender twin horizontal bones forming those small knobs at the naked shoulders’ tops, then meeting at the breastbone to shape that sweet U at the base of the throat. You see these bones, prominent and fine, on ballerinas and models, on French actresses of a certain age and good posture. These bones bespeak elegance and grace. But the clavicle - okay, the collarbone - is also the most commonly broken bone in the human body. It cracks easily, like those thin Pogen ginger snaps my mother used to buy. Clavicles are beautiful. Mine are lovely. They are my best feature.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot