Sure

by Alyssa Waugh

I’ve never wanted kids

No natural maternal instincts

I’ve never heard a baby cry and thought

Something is missing from my life 

(The opposite actually)

I don’t swoon for cute babies 

I panic when mothers hand them off to me

And I’ve spent half my life being made to feel other

– not normal –

about it

And the other half being pressured to change my mind

and being told that I’ll regret it if I don’t

And when women say they’ve never wanted kids

Have no natural maternal instincts

Don’t swoon for cute babies and

Panic when holding one

But are “unsure”

I wonder if they’re really unsure

Or only worried by seeds of would-be regrets

Planted by those sure enough for two 

Planted by those who think they know better than you

What you want

Or will