I have never been good at anything 
physical. I have no strength,
no speed, no endurance. 

From early on, I lived in stories,
the ones I read, the ones I told myself.
I lived for A’s on tests and gold stars

on papers. But sometimes 
I remember another me. The girl
who ran fast to feel the wind,

who loved weightlessness in water, 
dove to the bottom of the deep
end of the pool, used the strength

of my legs to rocket back 
to air. I remember swinging 
so high, the chains slacked as I peaked 

I remember letting go at the height 
of the return arc, the feeling of being
suspended, until gravity reclaimed me.