daddy, I can’t
go back in there
you don’t have to go
i’m not
i’m not as strong
as the other girls
oh, my child,
there is a lot more to strength
than just muscle
what do you mean?
the strongest people i know
don’t have the biggest arms –
they keep going when things are hard,
they try,
even when trying seems silly,
and they have the strength it takes
to lift other people up
when they don’t want to try either —
you are strong,
my child,
very strong
i still can’t lift very heavy things
or carry heavy ones for long
well, remember,
wherever you go,
you are carrying my heart with you
i guess i’ll go back in there
you’ve got this
