Defiance

The mystery of growing pains
is what hurts. If I felt growing pains,
I didn’t know it. I can imagine
what it feels like, the way
I imagine it hurts when
leaves fall or grow—
a chemical reaction
signaling discomfort,
roots unsheathing themselves.
There is so much that wants to grow,
harden, parameters pushed to extremity.
It’s like the word defiance:
there is so much metal in it,
such iron.

Author of the article

Esther Sadoff is a teacher and writer from Columbus, Ohio. She is the author of four chapbooks: "Some Wild Woman" (Finishing Line Press), "Serendipity in France" (Finishing Line Press), "Dear Silence" (Kelsay Books), and "If I Hold my Breath" (Bottlecap Press). She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Hole in the Head Review, and she is the winner of the Women of Ohio 2025 Poetry Award.