maybe one day I will tell my children
maybe one day I will tell my children
about days when I took baths full of water
when I ran an online business
maybe I will tell them about flavors evoked
through cooking elaborate meals
spices from the world around
while I watch a candle flicker on their faces
maybe I will tell them
the way flowers used to bloom
the way I filled my shopping cart with Christmas decorations
how in 2020 I made resolutions for growth, abundance
maybe I will tell them about Exxon in the 80s
about the melting Arctic ice
maybe I will tell them about the Arctic
maybe I will tell my children
about the way 7 billion people
once existed on the planet
maybe I will tell them about coastal cities
maybe I will tell my children
about Australia burning
Just an entire continent, burning
I will tell them how Notre Dame was bigger news
I will tell them how my nipples caused more commotion than
Australia
maybe I will tell my children
as we chop vegetables we grew ourselves
in the dark
that the richest men in the world thought the solution was Mars
maybe I will tell my children
they are alive because their parents had pieces of green paper
that those were worth more than love
or kindness
maybe I will tell my children about toilets
and plumbing systems
as I wash their hair in rivers
maybe I will tell them about how I flew through the air
how I drove across the country
maybe I will tell them about cars
and gas
maybe I will tell them how Australia was burning
but we were concerned with killing people in Iran
and stopping the use of plastic
straws
maybe I will tell them that the people who used to lead us
were more bothered by my womb than the loss of entire species
maybe I will tell my children
about hope
maybe I will tell them hope can be denial
maybe I will tell my children
how the world I brought them into
is ending
maybe I will not have children
If you liked this piece, you might also enjoy:
– Reflections on hiring help & pre-conception time
– Having it all the way, writing the future, & my current life
– Turning 30 and the loss of my innocence
– Grief is not a thing we need to get rid of