If I Had A Daughter Today Poem by Michael Ordia

If I had a daughter today
When do I begin to worry?
Puberty?
That would be too late
There are wolves waiting to devour her before she begins to understand her body.
When do I begin to worry?
I guess I will count every day as victory.
Every day she returns home safe is victory
Every day she is home without tears in her eyes, without fear in her voice, without pain between her thighs.
I would rejoice because the full moon hasn't exposed the beast called men.

If I had a daughter today
When do I begin to worry?
When she's in school? Miles away from me
Will they hunt her because her skirts are too short it's tempting
Or too long it sparks their curiosity.
How many nights would I betray sleep to make request to heavens?
How many angels would he assign to shield her from the beast in men?

If I had a daughter today
Would she be safe?
Would being female be her worst crime?
Would I worry that one day she would curse me for bringing her into this unpleasant world?