A Letter to my Future Daughter

Your mom was revolutionary

And I had a big soul

And together we collected every ounce of hope we’ve spared for you and swallowed it whole

And, sure, there were people out there who tried to make us choke

Like my mother, who said:

“That’s not real. What you’re doing is a mockery of what was intended. What you’re doing is a joke.”

But I know what I feel and it’s as real as the time you got your first cut… probably from harassing that crazed cat and I cried at the blood that came through you because it was as real and breath-taking as the first family portrait you have ever drawn of us. Where you made your mom look so silly and it made sense because that’s the way we like her best.

Besides, who can put limits on a word like “real”?

When you came to us as a gift

We gave you thunder to ROAR instead of jewels and trinkets

We gave you fire to light the world with

And ice to soothe your burns and burdens

Dear Daughter,

The moment you came into sight

We held hands and cried as our skies began to open.