Sometimes it just is

Today I

Made my daughter an omelet

while preparing for a meeting

with the county.

He went to work, no child in tow,

and did so with the last of the cream in his coffee.

Maybe I should learn to like it black

Today I

Had my meeting with the county,

her favorite cartoon in the background,

balancing the tantrums of a toddler

with the criteria I need to meet,

so that state funding

will pay me

for my work.

Today I

Reviewed the curriculum

After hanging the laundry

She naps from 11:30 to 2

And I know he likes the smell

Of the sun

On his sheets

Today I

Remembered somehow

That I am a writer

A social justice activist

A person

Lost in the peanut butter and avocado shake

That I made her

For her afternoon snack

Today I

Find myself speaking

In the language of women,

whose unpaid labor

will never fund

our two weeks vacation

In a patriarchal society

Whose language

Is written in the alphabet

Of commerce

Today I

Am aware of my own privilege

For the juggling act

That has been the site of struggle

For women of color

For centuries longer

Then these COVID conditions

Today I

Do not feel anger,

Or resentment

But grief.

That he missed the moment

When she pointed at the picture,

Smiled and said,

“dada”