We’ll See

By Kevin Ridgeway

those are the words
my mother told me
when I asked her
if I would grow up
to be president
of the united states

they were the same words
she spoke when I
asked her if it was
a good idea
to get married

the same phrase
she uttered
when I asked if
I was going to
earn a doctorate
in English literature

again, when I asked
if it was a good idea
to trade lithium
for Phenobarbital
tablets while balancing
myself naked on
the diving board
over our empty
swimming pool,
screaming at the
sun and wondering
if I might crack my
skull:

“we’ll see”

Originally Appeared in Emerge Literary Journal.