Grateful

Gratitude sits higher in my chest than it once did.

Grateful
Is a word that once carried such
Heavy
Shame.

You should be so lucky!
Yelled at me through screen doors,
Hot beer on the breath
Or cold, cold regret.

The mistakes of others;
Their lives half-lived;
Are not my burden anymore.

I am free and weightless,
Able to saunter and dance,
With gratitude for the little toes who carry me,
The legs who hold me up,
The blood who fuels my body with oxygen.

Life flows through me today.
Of course I am grateful.