I found out I was pregnant
The day Russia invaded Ukraine.
I sobbed, no of course I’m happy,
My husband stroking my hair
And rocking me on the bathroom floor.

I got rounder and rosier,
Pregnant in the summertime
With swollen ankles and an uncontrollable need for *** raisin ice cream,
Praying to a God I don’t believe in
For the health of my daughter
As the refugee crisis raged in Europe.

I was painting her nursery  
when Taiwan fell to China
And the global stock market Thelma and Louised.
Protests became riots and
My husband became a top 10% earner at a Fortune 500 company.
Cyber security.

She was born by candlelight on the bathroom floor,
Roaring into the world on November 13th, 2022 at 9:06pm
(Sunday’s child, like me),
Wax and my blood mixing on the tile floor.
Raindrops on roses
Power outages
Hospital closures

Maria
After my favorite Julie Andrews heroine.
An attempt to instill her with the bravery to sing.

As the world burned,
As my husband worked 20 hour days and became a person I hardly knew under the weight
As society’s cracks became breaks became near total collapse

I held her. Alone. Just us.
“You’re the only thing in this world I know to be real”