I pulled out the unused "negation" prompt I had left over from Day 1 today (the Sapphics were making my head hurt) and came up with this, in honor of my favorite little hell-no-on-wheels.
NOrah
You are not still, not silent,
not a beebee, you
say—
you will not eat chicken
fruit, or carrots—nor cake
just frosting. Your
face is not
clean, your hair does not lie
in placid well-behaved blonde curls.
You NO the bath,
the sippy cup,
the chicken nuggets, the idea
that you are somehow small and
I am somehow in charge.
You do not play nice with your sister
or share the sidewalk chalk.
You will not let sleep come without a fight,
you do not shut your eyes and dream soft.
You will not use the potty, you will not wear
the puppy dog pajamas, you will not leave
the knobs on your dresser.
You will not
be mistaken for anyone else’s daughter.
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