Ten days before her stroke
my grandma, yoga limber,
rested her torso flat, raised
her legs in slow scissors, rising
upside down. I applauded.
She grinned.
I showed her my first
tae kwon do form: front stance
low block, step and punch.
She watched me:
taut face, jerky motions,
scared of my own flesh,
awkward, yet gleeful.
She clapped.
We joyed in moving.
Something in her soul
was stolen, with that stroke.
This woman who held her upside
down frame with grace can
barely lift a fork. Her body’s
hurt, her spirit too.
We both see this.
She clapped with mercy
Emily Milner currently spends her days reading novels while nursing a broken leg. When her leg heals, she hopes to return to her tae kwon do class. Emily is the associate editor of
and joy at my stiff
tae kwon do form.
When she lifts a fork
I want to cheer
and also weep.
