The Patient Daughter

We all carry many pieces of our identity with us every day. This piece examines a core part of myself and the role that I have been given in this life.

To be a patient daughter is to listen 
with intention,
To say less and to hear more.
To take a deep breath…
Inhale
when the fear of time gets too overwhelming
Exhale. 
Patient daughters feel anxious about unknown 
futures, 
An anxiety that rises and cannot be tamed by reassuring phrases.
To be a patient daughter is to love flavorful food,
To feel your stomach growl and hear it reverberate around the room,
To take the time to breathe in the rich smell of garlic and onion mixed together.
Patient daughters relish in the taste of the flavors of every piece of food they eat,
letting the unique taste melt on their tongue.
See the patient daughter, as she dances with her mother,
Loud music blaring through the apartment.
Hear the drum her father plays,
whose steady beat guides her feet,
Whose patient rhythm shapes her life.
Watch the patient daughter as a young child
Her face molded in concentration
As she reads with eager eyes
And anxiously skips to the end of her book,
Unable to leave anything to mystery.
See the patient daughter as she looks with patient eyes
At the world around her,
But has no patience for herself,
No grace for herself,
No place for herself,
No space for herself.