Daughter Poem

It does feel less and less
Acceptable to write
About children as they
Grow older and older
And so become their own
Persons with personas.

Personhood has value,
And value’s coveted
And morally structured
By the norms of the times.
Personhood can belong
To churches, enslavers,

Entire communities.
In capitalism
It can be marketed
And, in theory, belongs
As private property
Of the bodily self.

When your child’s a baby,
You’re free to write of her
Charming quirks and foibles,
Her learning behaviors.
By the time she’s a teen,
She owns the copyright

On her tribulations
And shifting perspectives.
If you love her, don’t write
Out her name when you write
About her. She’s building
Her own anecdote hoard.

You, meanwhile, are fading
In value to yourself.
When she writes, if she writes,
You’ll be part of her tale,
Not she yours anymore.
Quietly close the door.