She learned she was too sensitive
from an early age, told repeatedly
don’t be so sensitive. Today,
she hears it in everyday sounds:
her husband sipping coffee, her son
tapping his fingers. Too sensitive, her
parents explained. She spent her whole
life trying to improve, but ended up
biting her tongue until it bled and swelled.
Ice cubes numbed the pain. Eventually,
that became her answer: the opposite
of sensitive is numb. When the cardiologist
explained her subclavian artery had torn
spontaneously after years of purging,
she heard your body is too sensitive. She
remembered reading about a greenhouse plant
known for its rapid leaf movement. Its
common name is the Sensitive Plant
because its leaves fold inward and droop
when touched. How her parents
would hate such a thing.
