*

When I am old,

Unshaven,

Dying,

If my daughters are there,

May they be mine,

Unfettered,

And innocent of my past,

May they never think that I struggled for them,

May they think me a loafer!

Though I break nightly,

Doubt eternal,

A life spent doubled over on the floor in uncertainty,

And in striving,

Let them think I gave from abundance,

So that they owe me nothing,

Because they owe me nothing!

Because they are a blessing!

Lord I am old,

I ramble,

My endnotes on this life are too long.

If nothing else:

Protect my girls from the guilt of having!

May we be equal!

God receive us all or none!