BIRTH PLACE OF ELIZA
by Joanna Gilman Hyde
The Hawk Corner Room 4:33pm
My Daughter, You Are Spectacular
the way I dreamt You up
to be capable of anything
with the nerve & the looks
to go with Your Infinite Abilities
You Can Do Anything
as I imagined when I saw You
in April of 1993
when I wanted A Baby Girl
A Beautiful Daughter —
not even as a compliment to My Son —
A Daughter to stand on Her Own
ready to Wow The World
now at eighteen
with Your tears of disproportion
about Your Idealized Body
Your Perfectly White Smile
and All Your Talents —
shall I list A Few?
After All, I Am Your Mother
& I Will Tell The World:
She Can Sing, Write, Act
Ride A Horse, Sail (Racing)
Bake, Cook, Organize
Play The Piano, Guitar, Saxophone —
She Can Make Money
& Raise It —
She Can Travel Solo
& Paint —
I Am Her Mother
I Made Her
And I Will Not Apologise
for Any of Eliza
Joanna Gilman Hyde 
Oh how I wish so desperately…
Not to get personal, but what do you wish?
Just…these things for my daughter. These things from my mother.
How old are your children?
four and five.
Do you mind me asking, how often do you get to see them? (I’m assuming from one comment that you do not live with them.)
I do have them at present. We shall see if I last, can you tell I feel they are already gone? I left for their third and fourth years and saw them once a month.
I believe this kind of situation is excruciating for most, if not all, mothers and not knowing your circumstances I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you.