To Raise a Child

Pamela Merrell

Poetry

allow him to cuss with you in traffic / but never at you / don’t teach him / to have more and he will be more / let him be feral / like poetry / uncultivated on the page / a teaspoon of whiskey in his bottle will help him sleep / a lowball glass / two fingers for you / be there for him / remove his privacy until he earns it / no doorknob on his bedroom door / leave a pillow and blanket outside / when he’s late for curfew / hugs / kisses / and praise to show your love / let him eat chocolate cake for breakfast / and wipe the frosting off his face before school / hire the neighbor’s kid to kick his ass when he’s out of line / stab his elbow with a fork / if he places it on the dinner table / don’t abandon him / like your mother.

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Pamela Merrell is in her second year, double-majoring in political science and creative writing. Pamela lives in Roundup, where her kids call her “bruh.”