Worth
by Adegboyega Kayowa
When I finally told you that walking
was harder for me than for others, I was worried
you would be sad I hadn’t said it sooner.
You and Dad believed so kindly
that you could fix everything, that it was hard
to tell you that bodies don’t always obey.
I wanted to protect you from the truth
that helping someone is not the same as healing;
I was half-torn with the paradox of loving
my own limits. When you nodded and said
you were glad I had waited to tell you,
I was relieved, and grateful. You explained,
“I think I am only just now calm enough
not to push you to try harder than you should.”
I know it is wrong too but a part of me
glows with pleasure—not because I wish
to prove anyone wrong but because I enjoy
the thought that I am worth caring for.
It is an enjoyment, it occurs to me,
suitably allotted for a person, and is
a kind of strength all its own.
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Adegboyega Kayowa is a writer and teacher. Her work has appeared in Sojourners Magazine, Queen’s Quarterly, Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives with two German Shepherds and two neurotic cats. She moonlights as a copy editor and loves spending time with her family and friends.