I Hope You Chance, YCA Challenge, Day 2

Dawn Aulet, Editor-in-Chief
Apr 3, 2017
3 min read

Today is day two of the April poetry challenge from Young Chicago Authors. Today's challenge includes the assignment to listen to a Chance the Rapper tune.

On the list of things you were supposed to talk about were:

People you have had a disagreement with over the last year
People you feel are the opposite of you
Foods you find disgusting or horrific
Names of people you would like to like you more

As much as I loathe fennel, a poem to the hatred of that disgusting plant and all things like it did not feel like they fit the bill today.

At the end, you are supposed to take that list you brainstormed and, after reading a poem and listening to the song, write a spell or curse.

I'm a Pagan.

I don't write spells for anything that I do not want to actually happen. Even if I am doing so creatively.

So, I present to you: "I Hope You Chance"

Birthing you snow falling, the feeling of a first time mom

Will you be ok? NICU 5 days

Yellow fades back to pink

And I

I hope you chance

May you find your first love standing in a field when and where you need him or her to be

May there be something that keeps you sane when the pains of growing try to tear you apart

May you know love

May you understand it

I hope you chance

Look towards your mother, your father, your stepmom, grandparents, uncles, aunts, brother and find a peg that fits the hole missing in you that was never empty in the first place.

May the love that we give be the love that you need

May you always return love to the giver

Birthing you, thunderstorm outside yields to sunshine

Room so hot that they turn the warming lamp off

Delivered on land unlike your brother's watery entrance Straight onto my chest. Straight into my arms

Cries fade to suckle

And I

I hope you chance

May you know her or him when you see them and find the bravery to ask them to a movie

May you find humor when the world is too scary and the solutions seem too large to conquer

May you know love

May you understand it

I hope you chance

Look towards your mother, your father, your stepmom, grandparents, uncles, aunts and find words of wisdom that will guide you and comfort you when you stand alone

Look where you are going, not where you have been...my sons, keep moving

I ushered your souls back to earth to do the tasks you came to do. May I be good enough. May I be what you need. May I know how much you love me too.

I want to live every single one of my remaining days on earth knowing you are safe, cared for, loved. And while I cannot stop the places where you learn what you do not want (and I would not want to), I can point you in the direction of yes &

I hope you chance

Chance to love, even if you lose

Chance to dance, even if you misstep

Chance to sing, even if you're off key

Chance to try, even if you fail

Chance to fight, even when you should have stayed neutral

Chance to speak, even when you should have held your words.

I hope you chance to live. Really live.

Heart wide open, mind ready to engage, dreams so close you can reach out and grab them

I hope you chance to say no to what everyone else is doing when your dreams or your conscience says you must.

I hope you stand or kneel

I hope you scream or pray