IF

If
i'm having a son, I'm naming him cattail,
or
wonderbread and he will leave half cups of cold brew coffee to wait for me
in the fridge.
He will watch a spider dizzying up the side of our house, and say wow
cattail wonderbread beatnik will yelp the first time he will burn his tongue on instant oatmeal- he might cry at the sight of the ocean.

Years before cattail took a sip of beer off the table, age young, and said "this tastes like soap" I was driving down a Kentucky highway when it hit me
that this is the moment I'm grown-
Its not glamorous, it's mainly titles and car insurance, realizing I've already left the
city i'm in, planning nexts and firsts and if-thens.

Cattail wonderbread shortcake will never experience
the art of smoking in the car during freezing rain- i hope
anyway

And if we all come back- are born from something else, I know Cattail could be strong, martini in hand saying "yes, I have been midwestful"
I have drowned in valley winds with daffodils then snow
"I can Cattail-wonderbread-thunderpuch my way out of
whatever."""
And then I'm proud,
in a way to say- this is the way of the world-
a create your own adventure
book for the ages