Thursday, September 23, 2010

Ladies Without Babies

Today, I just want to share this poem I found in my files. I wrote it when I was really having a hard time with the whole childless thing. I admit that some of this does not apply to ladies with dogs.

Ladies without babies
have kittens and puppies
and goldfish with names.
They treat them like dolls,
they pretend to play house,
but it certainly isn't the same.

Ladies without babies
have neat little houses
with reachable knick-knacks
and cream-colored carpets,
glass without noseprints,
low-hanging spice racks.

Ladies without babies
get nervous when mommies
bring fat drooling babies
to spread crumbs and dribble
on white satin sofas
and rip up their papers.

Ladies without babies
become doting aunties
to nephews and nieces
whose photos they flash
when ladies with babies
share latest releases.

Ladies without babies
have big empty laps,
breasts never needed to nurse.
Like girls in a play
with a family of dolls,
their wombs can only rehearse.

Copyright 2010 Sue Fagalde Lick

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, just found your blog...am childless by choice. life circumstances-1st husband had addiction problem so i put it off then divorced him...been in the military and that have done 4 deployments/going to nursing school as well...remarried 2 years ago...now am 43, have issues w my uterus so will have a procedure at will make it impossible to have have kids. Like kids, get along w them fine, spend lots of time w my nieces/nephews, tutor grammar school kids...still, knowing that this procedure will end my ferilitly kind of makes me sad. have alwasy been if th philosophy that if you want to be a parent, you will be a parent to anyone who needs you...so i guess if my bio clock ever really starts ringing, i could foster, adopt, whatever it takes for who ever needs it. For now, i am happy to be the Mama of 160 Marines...

Sue Fagalde Lick said...

Thanks for sharing this, Anon. Being the Mama of 160 Marines sounds like an important job.