You Learn to Stand

You learn

To stand

She said

As the world

Tries to fit you

In a neat little box

But life doesn’t work

That way

And the broken is

As much a part

Of who you are

As the whole.

I am tired

Of the way

People want

To judge you

The things they

Say and the things

Left in a silence

That leaves you umcomfortable.

I saw the things

She endured

The way she

Learned to stand

For herself

And lifted

A helping hand to

Others

Even in her

Own pain.

I learned the way

She joked

Deflecting the pain.

I learned the meaning

Of strength.

There were those

Who told her

She wasn’t disabled

Enough

As if an amputated

Limb didn't bring

It’s limitations

And those who said

She was to disabled

Refusing to see the

Way she lived life

To the fullest

And lived

On borrowed time.

You learn to stand

In the face of adversity

And speak of for yourself

Becoming an advocate

For what’s right

For you.

© Michelle R Kidwell

April.13.2021