my daughter

she was beautiful and appeared

between may 30 and 31

I was eager to show her off

my life was exactly as is

mundane corners, skin
raging, stuck here

she had blue eyes (?)

for a moment but

mostly, she belonged to no one

she shape shifted 

and I could only 

think of her

at a thrift store 

I bought her tiny doc martens

with bells, for Christmas

shopping for my daughter

just me in my body

I hoped that when she grew up

she would never feel the need

to lie about what I gave her

or did for her

I woke with her around, real

our broken hearts

being our own 

daughters

hold her close

in the streets