My Kids

My kids
never made me nauseous
never gave me heartburn
never kicked or made me short of breath
never missed a due date
never gave me painful hours of labor,
and never cried at birth.

My kids
never kept me up all night
never had colic
never missed a milestone
never missed a play date
never broke a knickknack
and never needed to be potty trained.

My kids
never had sibling rivalry
never spoke back
never misbehaved
never snuck out of bed
never left vegetables on their plate
and never threw a temper tantrum.

My kids
never asked for money
never texted on a cell phone
never wanted a laptop
never asked for keys to the car
never drank or did drugs
and never had their hearts broken.

My kids
never took SAT's
never went to prom
never went to a football, basketball, or soccer game
never had a detention
never graduated
and never went to college.

My kids never came to be
and now the time has passed me.