B by Sarah Kay

I hope I have the courage to be this mom :)

Point B
Instead of “mom”
She’s going to call me “Point B.”
Because that way
She knows that no matter what happens
At least she can always find
Her way to me.

And I’m gonna paint the
Solar system on the back
Of her hands,
So that she has to learn
The entire universe
Before she can say
“I know that like the back of my hand.”

She’s gonna learn that this life
Will hit you.
Hard in the face.
Wait for you to get
Back up,
So it can kick you
In the stomach.

But getting the wind
Knocked out of you
Is the only way to remind
Your lungs how much
They like the taste of
Air.

There is hurt here.
That cannot be fixed
By band aids or poetry.
And the first time she realizes
That Wonderwoman isn’t coming,
I’ll make sure she knows that
She doesn’t have to wear
The cape
All by herself.

Cause no matter how wide
You stretch your fingers.
Your hands will always
Be too small
To catch all the

Pain you want to
Heal.
Believe me.
I’ve tried.

“And baby,”
I’ll tell her,
Don’t keep your nose
Up in the air
Like that.
I know that trick.
You’re just smelling
For smoke.
So you can follow the trail
Back to a burning house
So you can find the boy
Who lost everything
In the fire.
To see if you can
Save him.
Or else find the boy
Who lit the fire
In the first place
To see if you can
Change him.

But I know
That she will anyways.
So instead
I’ll always keep
An extra supply
Of chocolate and rain boots
Near by.
Because there’s no
Heartbreak that chocolate
Can’t fix.
Okay….
There’s a few
Heartbreaks that chocolate
Can’t fix,
But that’s what
The rain boots are for!
Because rain will
Wash away everything
If you let it.

I want her to see the world
Through the underside of a
Glass bottom boat.
To look through a
Magnifying glass
At the galaxies
That exist on the pinpoint
Of a human mind.

Because that’s the way
My mom taught me.
That there’ll be days
Like this.
There’ll be days
Like this,
My momma said.

When you open your
Hands to catch
And wind up with
Only blisters
And bruises.
When you step out
Of the phoneboot
And try to fly,
And the very people
You wanna save.
Are standing on
Your cape.

When your boots
Are filled with
Rain,
And you are
Up to your knees
With disappointment
And those are the
Very days
You have all the more
Reason to say
Thank you!

Cause there is nothing
More beautiful than
The way the
Ocean refuses
To stop kissing
The shore line,
No matter how many
Times it’s sent
Away.

You will put the “win”
In win some,
Lose some.
You’ll put the “star”
In starting over and over.
And no matter
How many
Landmines
Erupt in a minuet.
Be sure your mind
Lands on the beauty
Of this funny place
Called:
Life.

And yes.
On a scale of
1 to…
Overtrusting.
I am pretty fuckin
Naive.
But I want
Her to know
That this world
Is made out of
Suger.
It can crumble
So easily,
But don’t be afraid
To stick your
Tongue out and
Taste it.

“Baby!”
I’ll tell her,
“Remember,
Your momma
Is a worrier,
But your papa
Is a warrior.
And you are
The girl with
Small hands
And big eyes,
Who never stops
Asking for more.

Remember that
Good things
Come in 3(s)
And so do
Bad things.
And always
Apologize when
You’ve done
Something wrong,
But don’t you ever
Apologize for the way
Your eyes never
Stop shining.
Your voice
Is small
But don’t ever
Stop singing.

And when they
Finally hand you
Heartbreak,
Slip hatered
And war
Under your
Doorstep
And hand you
Handouts on
Street corners
Of cynicism
And defeat.

You tell them
That they
Really ought to
Meet your
Mother.