Not ready

To the 16-year-old girl who
Lived five miles down the road, not too far,
And knew, accepted mistakes of her own, learning from them,
Because she was not ready to be a mother

Now she will unwillingly suffer through birth
Not to mention the potential pain of offering her child up for adoption
And if not, a poorly parented, rough, unwanted childhood.

To the 35-year-old woman who
Was a friend of a friend from a neighborhood from college
And no matter how old, never wanted to be a mother,
With a choice, knowing what was right for her

Now she will unwillingly suffer through birth
Not to mention the potential pain of offering her child up for adoption
And if not, a poorly parented, rough, unwanted childhood.

To the woman struggling to make ends meet who
Lives in a cluttered apartment in the near city's avoided suburbs
And wasn't in a stable position in life to become a mother,
Freeing her child of an unstable, horrible life

Now she will unwillingly suffer through birth
Not to mention the potential pain of offering her child up for adoption
And if not, a poorly parented, rough, unwanted childhood.

To all women and girls and anyone who may be affected
Sifting through layers of perplexing emotions in cities, towns, forests,
Struggling to grapple with the fact that their rights to their own body
Have been stripped from them, not to mention their choice

Now they may unwillingly suffer through birth
Not to mention the potential pain of offering their child up for adoption
And if not, a poorly parented, rough, unwanted childhood.

Their bodies were their own, they had a choice.
Now they and their children may suffer, because their choice – it's gone.