prickly/sensitive
māmā calls me mǐngǎn (敏感), sensitive. tears dribble valleys into my cheeks, sensitive. strong boys don't cry, they look into the sun with squinted eyes, and they certainly are not sensitive.
roses are delicate, māmā says when i pluck one from the garden. but māmā adores them, even if delicate is synonymous with sensitive.
if i can't be sensitive like me, maybe i'll be delicate like a rosy sea.
then, māmā calls me zháshǒu (扎手), prickly like a rose. difficult to handle. argumentative. but at least, i'm no longer sensitive.












