Epiphany
Epiphany
I was playing badminton in front of a million crowd
The noise was an ocean
Roses fell like rain
Fame and wealth danced around me every day
I wore pride like a second skin
I took everything for granted
and still complained
as if my life was an empty cup
Then my gaze turned
and cut through the crowd
A boy on a wheelchair
His body a house with broken doors
His hands shaking
His mouth unable to hold food
Drool running like a river he could not dam
His mother was trying to feed him
Her face was stone worn down by grief
He lifted his hand
not to eat
but to point at me
Through the wall of photographers
through the noise
he was reaching for a distant star
and I was the star
untouchable
Her disappointment sat in the air like smoke
heavy
because she knew I was too far
Something pulled me forward
I pushed past the cameras
and knelt in front of him
His eyes lit up
like someone had turned on a light in a dark room
He cried
and tried to hold my hand
and pushed his racket toward me for an autograph
His mother translated his language
the language of cerebral palsy
the language I had never bothered to learn
In that moment the million voices went silent
The roses turned to ash in my hands
I saw it
I have two legs that run
two hands that hold
a voice that speaks without breaking
and I was calling it not enough
He has a body that fights him every second
and he was calling me his joy
God had given me a palace
and I was complaining about one missing tile
That was the moment
I understood what blessed means
Copyright © Nazia Sultan | Year Posted 2026
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