Life as we know in America is at a crossroads. Now, more than ever, conflicting political and social perspectives reflect a need for women to collectively define our moral imperatives, clarify cultural values, and inspire meaningful change—especially to our daughters.
In that motherly and patriotic spirit, poet Suzanne Frischkorn submitted the following poem to Terrain.org—along with more than 130 writers, artists, scientists and political and community leaders who have come together since the 2016 presidential election to offer their impassioned letters to America in a new book, Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance and Democracy (Trinity University Press, April 2020).
It’s Time to Teach My Daughter How
By Suzanne Frischkorn
(Excerpt from Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy)
It’s time to teach my daughter how to shoot an arrow
How to use a knife
How to hit the center of a target
It’s bloody work, but she should know
It’s time to teach her how to win a debate
While applying lipstick without a mirror
And how to hold her keys between her fingers in a parking lot
It’s time for her to hit the weight room
Join the cross-country team
Cast a spell, literally and figuratively
And it’s time for her to develop telekinesis and clairvoyance
It’s time she knows to never leave her drink unattended
Never drink on an empty stomach
Never drink before her period
And maybe what I mean to say is—never drink alcohol period
It’s time to learn that one day she might switch
Grocery stores because a guy on staff there gives her the creeps
And even if it’s less convenient to travel across town
It’s always best to trust her intuition
It’s time to teach her that when a grown man stares at her
New breasts, she is not the one who should feel ashamed
America, she’s her mother’s daughter
She’s got this
