"Things I Will Tell My Children About Destiny" by Cynthia Manick

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend August 4, 2017   Things I Will Tell My Children About Destiny   Cynthia Manick

You remind them              of weighted tumbleweeds, hen-egg brown. Don't let                            them take the rag-              time beneath your skin.         It stirs earth's curvature and a choir of frogs  when you enter              or leave a room. Don't              leave a swallow of juice                     or milk in the fridge. A body grieved is a whole new body.              Give your shadow a name                           big as a star, see               yourself out loud. Pick wild irises                          the best gifts               roll under a ribcage, leave                open mouths splendid.   I like your smile unpenned.   Keep your bird-               song close, imagine                      an hourglass full                          of architects and dreamers, the first taste of fresh               scooped ice cream.                          You will learn to master                          camouflage among ordinary things—              men who spill words not thoughts, trigger fingers                            ready                            to brand loose.   I love your smile unpenned.              Copyright © 2017 Cynthia Manick. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "'Things I Will Tell My Children About Destiny' is a poem about fanciful and practical wishes for children not yet born. We all want them to be happy and whole, but we also want them to be safe and alive—to walk in the world aware of danger. But in the quest for safety, let's not lose ourselves and forget the joy of life either." —Cynthia Manick   Cynthia Manick is the author of Blue Hallelujahs (Black Lawrence Press, 2016). She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Poetry by Manick   Blue Hallelujahs (Black Lawrence Press, 2016) "Children Walk on Chairs to Cross a Flooded Schoolyard" by Patrick Rosal "Manifest Destiny" by Cynthia Lowen "Happy Ending for the Lost Children" by Charles Martin Help Support Poem-a-Day   If you value Poem-a-Day, please consider a monthly donation or one-time gift to help make it possible. Poem-a-Day is the only digital series publishing new, previously unpublished work by today's poets each weekday morning. The free series, which also features a curated selection of classic poems on weekends, reaches 450,000+ readers daily. Thank you! Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038