Fresh Ink 2020
IF I EVER HAVE A DAUGHTER Yelizaveta Tolstokoraya* I will never have a daughter, Because a child should never be A victim of their parents’ faults. It’s inevitable that They are burdened, anyway. And if I do, I won’t expect my daughter To be the best just to be good enough. My grades weren’t perfect, My answers never right. And if I do want her to be the best, I can’t tell my daughter She’s doing something wrong To the point of her losing self-confidence. I gave up on too many things myself. And if I do it wrong, I hope she’ll disagree with me And show me a better way Because her voice matters, too. A belief I didn’t have about myself. And whatever I do, I’ll try not to let my daughter Believe that I don’t love her for who she is. I may have a daughter, But, please, don’t let her be like me.
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