would you give a baby

to this family?

i’m not sure i would.
sometimes i talk in my workshops
about how most of the pictures we take
are lies.
how asking someone to pose
is like asking them to leave their life.
the only thing about posed pictures that i like
is the discussion that happens when the question
is asked:
what can you not see in the picture.
which 1000 [...]

leanne’s breasts

smell like maple syrup.
so do her armpits.
i know. i’ve smelled.
the rest of her smells the same,
but the breasts and the armpits are something special these days.
because these days, leanne has been taking fenugreek -
an herb used in curry. it’s also used as a hair conditioner,
steeped for tea, a digestive aid, and a treatment [...]

would you, could you

nine digits?
cleft palate?
missing an ear?
an arm?
two arms?
both eyes?
has one grandparent who is bi-polar?
has two parents with downs?
could you?
would you?
two separate questions, maybe,
for some.
the same question for others
with the same answer.
how about taking a child who’s mother had cancer
and whose father is clinically depressed?
what then?
it’s become clear to me that there’s a chance
i wouldn’t even take [...]