"Daughter"

“One day I’ll give birth to a tiny baby girl
and when she’s born she’ll scream
and I’ll tell her to never stop.

I will kiss her before I lay her down at night
and will tell her a story so she knows
how it is and how it must be for her to survive.

I’ll tell her to set things on fire
and keep them burning
I’ll teach her that fire will not consume her
that she must use it.”

Nicole Blackman, excerpt from “Daughter”

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