#184

#184
When I think about strong, inspiring people in my own life
Marked not only by their accomplishments but by the way they live
Woman after woman comes to mind
Strange role models for a young man, but role models nonetheless
Not in the role of “man” or “woman,” but “human.”
More perfect people.

Perhaps it is ability that develops through need and practice
As I believe many abilities are
Or perhaps it is because men are missing
The last fourth of that 46th chromosome,
The last leg of an X, and are thus
Destined to be 183/184ths of a human being

I search for exemplary footsteps to follow and sometimes recoil
I find myself repulsed by men who hoard power
Disappointed by men who think only of themselves
Ultimately, we are all human, we are all connected, but there are too many people who have never outgrown the childhood notion that the world revolves around them
It’s easy to stay a child when you never feel your frailty
It is so very easy and yet we must not fall down that well

I admire empathy, understanding, and thoughtfulness
And yet sometimes I despair that they reside primarily in that last 184th of our DNA
Precious treasures unlocked by dual knowledge - of our vulnerability, and of the necessity to continue, somehow, because there is no other option