Tag Archives: positivity

Seventeen Again

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Oh, to be seventeen again, 
waist deep in naivety and lessons to be taught up the road ahead. 

At that age, there was still so much I had to learn, 
Not sure what tortured me more, painstaking algebraic equations or innocent crushes never returned.

Always happy but never satisfied, with a constant craving for
something more.

Sometimes I wish I could go back,
so that this time around, I could slow down and savor every minute I had.

I’d hold on a little longer to all the ebbs and flows that come with getting older.
This life doesn’t get any easier—wish somebody would’ve told her. 

But how was I supposed to know, 
that’s just the way life goes?

If I knew then, what I know now,
I’d have realized sooner, there was nothing to worry so much about. 

I could, without hesitation, let go of the things that no longer serve me,
nor contribute to my peace.

I’d free myself from the constraints
of these growing pains,

stop trying to make 
life pick up the pace.

I still may not have everything exactly figured out, but without seventeen, 
I would’ve never been able to continue down this path, and grow into the woman I am now at twenty-three going on thirty.

I believe 23 has many great things in store for me. Here’s to getting older!

Marked With an “S” 

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From the day that I was born I’ve been marked with an “S”,
it’s stuck to me like a stamp that has permanently stained my skin. 

Spina bifida, scoliosis—the scary diagnoses meant to define me,
but that’s only where my story begins. 

Became a statistic before I could even breathe on my own, 
with a slim chance of survival, yet look how much I’ve since grown. 

Learned to ignore curious stares since I was a child, 
to understand that they were just kids too, and just respond with a smile. 

Sit up with a straight spine, stand tall in my sneakers—some of the things I’ve never done.
Is that, to you, what makes me such a “special” one? 

I’m no superhuman, I don’t see what you do. 
I may wear some stitches and scars, still I don’t need anything from you. 

Despite several surgeries and sicknesses I’ve made it out,
because that’s not what my life is all about. 

Though it may seem, I do not suffer from what I have,
so save your sympathy for someone else, and let me speak on my own behalf.

I’ve got no sensation in my legs, 
but I’m not half of a human, so don’t treat me that way.

Surmounted every stereotype and stunned the world, 
but I am that I am—I’m just a girl.

So call me strong for everything I’ve been through, 
but in your next sentence, make sure to say that I’m a sweet friend, a sports fan, a big sister, and a storyteller too.

~~~
Though I was born with a disability, I’ve never let it affect my entire life or mentality. I’m fortunate to have the best family and friends that treat me as they would any other, therefore I used to think it was silly to take a day to “celebrate” me, because there’s so much more to me than my disability. I always thought, “Why should I be celebrated for simply being me?” I’ve only recently realized that it’s okay to take pride in the things that make us unique from the rest, mine just happens to be my disability. Furthermore, by having a designated day or month for such, I can embrace those within my community and find comfort and familiarity within our shared life experiences. So, Happy World Spina Bifida Day to myself, and to all born just like me!