Big Fat Thumb

When my sister was 4

A playmate tracked the sweep of her hand

As my sister drew shapes

and swirls across a page

And let these words fall, then land:

“You have a Big Fat Thumb.”

I picture my sister’s eyes turning inward

Her face gathering into a new configuration

A self-conscious expression

A look that would resurface

time after time for pretty

much the rest of her life

After school, upset, tearful:

“Mama, Lily said I have a Big Fat Thumb.”

4 years old, and already

Big is bad

Fat is wrong

For a little girl’s

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