"Don’t have sons. If they survive childhood, they’ll be
drafted off to war, sentencing you to spending every day dreading news. You’ll
imagine them sweating, and fleeing, and crying out for you, all while you have
to pretend how proud you are, instead of how your life is defined by dread of
mailmen.
"Don’t have daughters. You’ll fear for their safety every
time they leave the house, and you can’t fix the world that wants to abuse them,
and you’ll never be able to prepare them for everything out there. They’ll be
degraded, and paid less, and attacked more, and expected to appreciate it.
"Don’t have no children. Then you will spend your entire
existence haunted by who should have been born, and the successes they could
have wrought, and the mud they could have tracked onto your carpet. If you keep
your carpets clean for fifty years, they will not be as valuable to you as will
be if they suffer a single indelible foot-shaped stain. It will be an accident
that fills all the empty moments, and emptiness is something the soul can not
abide. You must have children.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, I choose door number three.
ReplyDeleteReally liked this, John.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting thoughts to ponder upon. Everywhere you go, there are always pros and cons. You just have to choose the one that could bring you more happiness. :)
ReplyDeleteHaving two kids, and a grandkid now, you did this one pretty well. Loved the line, "It will be an accident that fills all the empty moments."
ReplyDeleteThankfully, real life gives more opportunity for joy than this piece does.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting narrator. The narrative itself is a great example of the negative impact of the whole "they're is no such thing as society" concept.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is so profound, in a very good way.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
ReplyDeleteEvery side has its advantage and its disappointment.
ReplyDeleteReally liked this one. The last line makes it :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sad reading this. :(
ReplyDelete