I was born 5 weeks early.
I couldn’t wait
to join the rest of the world,
and that is
exactly
the moment
my enthusiasm ceased.
The nurses tried to take me so my
“mother could sleep.”
But she refused to let me go.
I’m sure ultimately,
I ended up
in a common room for newborns.
And I’m sure ultimately,
I lay there comparing myself to the other babies.
Wondering if I were as smart as they were.
Or as funny.
Or as beautiful.
The avеrage baby weighs 8 pounds.
I weighеd 5.
The average baby is 20 inches long.
I was 14.
And it was on my first day on Earth
that I realized I didn’t measure up,
and I never would