Poetry (nonmonetized)

What would you give?

Daily Special 15: Kid Fears (Indigo Girls)

Dr. Casey Lawrence
Promptly Written
Published in
2 min readNov 15, 2021

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Future daughter, what would I give
to protect you from the world?

Would I burn myself to keep you warm?

You aren’t here yet, not even the thought of you —
and already my heart aches for want of you.

When I was small, the world seemed smaller.

I grew up and the world became a scary place
full of people who want to hurt me, or you.

What would I give to keep you safe?

What if I never have you? Are you safe if you
never exist? are you warm? are you — loved?

Do I know the price and can I pay it?

Will you be safe in my body?
Will you be safe in the world?

How much further is there to go?

As I get older and the years pass,
I know some things with certainty.

Future daughter, you will be loved.
And when you come to meet us —

I will burn myself to keep you warm.

Thank you Ravyne Hawke for today’s poetry prompt, “Watch and listen to the following video [Kid Fears by Indigo Girls and Michael Stipes (R.E.M)], and/or read the lyrics and then write a poem. What emotions does this song invoke within you? Can you relate?

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Dr. Casey Lawrence
Promptly Written

Canadian author of three LGBT YA novels. PhD from Trinity College Dublin. Check out my lists for stories by genre/type.