To a Daughter I’ll Never Have

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

Dear Almost Daughter,

If we don’t meet,
I’ll assume your soul was given a new script

that you entered this world
to play your role with a different cast
(dare I say, probably a better one?)

One day, decades from now
my soul will recognize you,
and my eyes won’t know why
I’ll pass by you in an airport
on the other side of the world

or I’ll stand behind you in line
maybe
I’ll ride the elevator with you
for a few floors
but then
the doors will open
curtains will rise
I’ll forget once the lights come on

You’ll be nothing like
the character you would have been
if you had been mine,
on my stage,
in my plots