Wonder Woman

We sit at the table
she and I.
Our weekly ritual
of alcohol pads
needles
liquid chemo
deep breaths
band aids
and painted toenails.

She is well-acquainted
with bellyaches
on the way to 
another three-hour round
of joint exams, therapies 
and phlebotomists.
Another school day
away from friends.

I’ve become familiar
with medical terms —
effusion, synovial fluid —
and with taking notes:
right ankle
left hip
left pointer finger
right wrist
hips.

In Greek mythology
they are semi-divine 
superhuman
with incomparable strength.
In comic books
they are masked
caped 
and shredded
Endowed with
force and flight.

“Courage is not
the towering oak
that sees storms
come and go;
it is the fragile
blossom that opens
in the snow,”
says Alice Swaim.

Courage is also
a seven-year-old
who grins,
counting the seconds
of her handstands
unable to keep
from dancing
when the music
hits just right.

---

Vanessa Sadler is a trauma-informed Spiritual Director and Enneagram Specialist. Through her company Abide (@abidinginstory), she collaborates with clients who seek deeper abiding and a greater understanding of the ways they relate with God, self and others. Vanessa has Level I and Level II certificates in Narrative Focused Trauma Care from The Allender Center, located within the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, and also offers Integrated Story Work to her clients along with a culture identity component.