My father called me sedentary when
I wouldn’t leave my book to come outside.
“I’d say you were a vegetable, but then
that’s slandering the plants.” And though I’d ride
my bicycle, and walk more than allowed,
I gathered that he wanted me to like
team sports and sportsmanship. He wasn’t proud
of what I read or how I rode my bike.

We both were incorrect. I didn’t see
and didn’t know till I was 35.
That spring a medical catastrophe
befell me, tossed a challenge to survive,
and taught me that expending energy
addresses stress and spurs my cells to thrive.