I Measure, Therefore I Am

| By Mima Stanulov |

I measure my strength

in my own units

twenty-two steps

no handrail

three half-full grocery bags

fifty meters of brisk walking

before my legs lock

seven squats — my knees buckle

on a good day, nine

after ten sentences

my handwriting tilts into italics

I count thirty-six springs

I feel seventy-six winters