"B" (If I Should Have a Daughter)

The poem is written in free verse and, as it is spoken-word poetry, is designed to mimic natural speech patterns. It thus has metrical variation within the lines that does not follow a specific rhythm. Rather than having a formal underlying structure, the work is meant to have a more informal, natural quality.

This poem has several instances of figurative language that add layers of meaning to the text. For example, in lines 4-5, the mother states that she will paint the solar systems on the back of her daughter’s hands so that she will know the entirety of the universe before being able to say, “I know that like the back of my hand” (Line 5) The idiom “like the back of my hand” is taken and turned on its head, moving from something that is traditionally a figure of speech to something literal: images on the girl’s hands.

Another instance of figurative language occurs when the speaker relates that “this world is made out of sugar” (Line 46). This metaphor refers to world’s tendency to “crumble so easily” (Line 47), but the mother hopes the girl will not be too afraid to stick out her tongue and taste it.