I used to think I was a mom without children,
but I am the mother of my life.
Sometimes it's a lot larger than me,
but we help each other grow.
Every writer is an apparent parent.
I gestate stories.
Nurse my wounds,
try my best to raise them as lessons.
I adopt ideas,
nipping and tucking
like hemming children's jeans.
I change the diapers of
plans that turned to shit:
eaten words turned to vowel movements.
I drive my goals to soccer practice,
tuck dreams into bed,
and wake them in the morning.
Every day I am a mother
giving birth to myself.
Emily Kirchner
Emily is a surrealist illustrator and writer. She is currently pursuing a degree in early childhood education to become a behavioral specialist.