MY WONDERFUL CHILDREN, ESTHER AND TOMÁS
My wonderful children are twins born at midnight. When my children cried, crows circled overhead. My wonderful Esther came out swarthy and mean-faced. My wonderful Tomás burst forth bright red and blistering.
My wonderful children are gorgeous and sweet. My wonderful Tomás grabs rats by the tail, blows his wonderful pot smoke hard into their ears. His sister has a (wonderfully) vicious glint in her eye. My wonderful children began talking early: wasting squirrels with scathing criticism and reading by the time they were three.
My beautiful daughter’s knuckles say F U C K O F F ! in a font only God can read. My whimsical daughter is full of surprises. My creative son makes me laugh, oh! and sometimes makes me cry.
My wonderful children are here with me now. My wonderful Tomás has zip-tied my feet together and my wonderful Esther is holding a knife. My wonderful children know that I adore them. My wonderful children love me, too, so much.
Helen Savita Sharma is a librarian and writer working on her first novel from her home in North Carolina. She is often described as "loud," "a real trip", and/or "taller than I thought you'd be." You can find her on X (fka Twitter) @helsavwords or by staking out any Dunkin' Donuts franchise location south of the Mason-Dixon line.