Naked and Afraid

My father used to say:

“I raised you this way.”

Like Mulan in the war,

I passed as a man

in girl form.

After a few hard years

he told me,

“You’re strong.”

I laughed

and played along —

my back breaking

from carrying a toddler all day long.

He pointed to his head.

And that was all

that needed to be said.

A strong man

carries burdens

greater than his weight.

A strong woman

hides her pain

beneath her ribcage.

Strength comes

in different forms.

Surviving alone

in the wild.

Chopping trees,

throwing stones.

Feeding hunger

with thoughts of power.

We win the mental game

standing naked

and afraid.

There is no tapping out

when you become a mother.

No surrender

as an Asian daughter.

No failure

when you have a partner.

Resilience

is a version

of self-care.

So bring on

the apocalypse —

I think

I could handle it.