“that's what i call you,” she says. what i actually am is foster-turned-adoptive parent. before, we were strangers. now, we are bound by our son—but still mostly strangers. in uncharted waters post adoption, we name a park neutral ground. “mama, chase me,” he begs. no one asks to be born. but here we are, she and i, surrounded by summer storm clouds chasing—trying to love him and ourselves and each other. when the rain comes, we all pile into my Prius. i watch him watch her. “mama, sing with me.” she has a beautiful voice, just like him.
Billie Oh's work has appeared in HuffPost, So to Speak, Cosmic Double, and Calyx. They live with their son in Minneapolis. Follow them here: billieaugust.substack.com.