my child

will have these words in their vocabulary

she will send 
her food back 
when it’s not
what she ordered

and ask for help
when he 
needs it
without 
a tickle
of doubt

they will live
inside a home
kept alive
by a tender 
heart
who only knows
the beat
of the least
most un-est un-
conditional 
Love

she will have 
the space
to 
feel what she really feels
know what she really knows
and
think what she really thinks

and be given 
the presence 
to safely explore 
her own
sense of things
without 
guilt
or self-judgment 

he will know 
what luteal phase is
and
she will know
how to give compassion
when the loneliness
of 
self-abandonment
is noticed 
inside someone's eye

there will be 
a few rules
like

no 
shame
or
blame
or
force

no shoulding
allowed
on self
or others

try
to leave some room
in the day 
for 
a creative contribution
to 
the collective

even if 
that days offering
is a smile

it would only be fair
for us parents 
to have our own 
set of rules

like
do own inner work
and 
never stop

tend 
to own multitudes
as often 
as reasonably 
possible

while simultaneously
attuning
to the 
sacred humanity
of each 
living being
inside the home
at 
any given time

we will spell perfect 
i-m-p-e-r-f-e-c-t

our joy
will be taken
extremely 
seriously

and
for as long
as we get 
to be alive
in 
the same place
at 
the same time

we will 
sing songs
in our charming
lil chrysalis 
of silliness

and eat breakfast 
for dinner
when the mood is right