I can’t tell if it’s
cruel or endearing
that whales are the only
other species to live into
their menopause years
When my Uber driver picked
me up for the airport, she
looked at my house and
said enthusiastically:
how many bedrooms
how many children
After their barren days,
female whales lead the
foraging. I wonder if they
roll a little deeper in the kelp,
frolic a little harder on the rocks
At the conference,
the man I sat next to asked
if I too was looking forward
to getting back to my family
it’s hard to get out of the house
with the children. Does the ocean
still find female whales in their older
age invaluable? Do more
barnacles latch onto their
weathered skin, or is it
more like a scarlet letter?
Either way, it is proof, isn’t it?
That time doesn’t pass
without baring its teeth
When I was at the airport, I
bought something
silly for a friend, and the cashier
smiled brightly, with a perfect 
southern twang:
Aw, your kids are gonna love that