"B" (If I Should Have a Daughter)

The poem mentions rain in reference to heartbreak, and it is ultimately characterized as a great cleanser that will help mend the daughter’s heart. The narrator states that, as the girl will inevitably encounter heartbreak, she will keep a supply of chocolate handy. For the heartbreaks that chocolate cannot fix, the mother states she will have rainboots ready for the girl, as “rain will / wash away everything if you let it” (Lines 27-28). Rain, a symbol for tears, is not represented as a sign of weakness but a means of cleansing things. The outpouring of emotion provides a fresh start that will allow the girl to begin anew.

The daughter’s eyes are mentioned a couple of times in the poem, especially in the context of naivety, and this speaks to the theme of maintaining a sense of vulnerability in a world filled with challenges. The girl is described as having “small hands and big eyes” (Line 51), which implies that the girl is limited in her experience—being so young—but still curious about the world, and the mother wishes for her to retain this curiosity. The mother also tells the girl not to apologize for the way in which her “eyes refuse to stop shining” (Line 54).