Part 1 - Birth

For EDBG

The first thing they saw
upon your entrance
was your mustache
Your head sticking out of my vagina
“It must be a boy!”
“Looks just like his father!”
Unbeknownst to all,
You inherited it from me.

The suction cup on your scalp
You clung to the womb
Hands and feet pressed into the walls
Who could blame you?
Is anyone ever ready for this world?

The nurse swaddled you tightly
Laid you on my chest
We locked eyes
and the tears began to flow
for years
Maybe it was love
or maybe it was prescience
The curse
The inescapable genes
Your eyes wide from
Sensory overload
Anxiety
that godforsaken hospital
I knew the fight that lay ahead
How strong you would need to become
So I gave you my breast
You latched on and would not let go

For the next year
We danced to Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos
We paced that one bedroom apartment
While watching the news
Monica Lewinsky
Louise Woodward
Princess Diana
Heaven's Gate
Mother Teresa
Taking in all the B.S.
All the tragedies
I swore I would protect you
from every single one of them

But you still cried.
they told me to ignore you
Let you cry yourself to sleep no matter how long it took
New mothers don't know any better
but I knew you
And the higher dose of love that would be required 
to make you feel secure.

No one would stop me from giving it to you.