a letter to my future child

after félix radu – «lettre à l’enfant que je n’ai pas encore»

dear future child / i hope that this letter finds you well / today is the 3th of january 2023 / which means that i am writing this letter in a time / in which you are not even alive / and therefore not able to be part of this new year / except maybe if i make you throughout the next three months / which is rather improbable / considering my general situation / i wish i knew your name / so that i wouldn’t have to call you future child / maybe you are not a child anymore / when reading these lines / or maybe you are / in any case / i hope that the name you carry / suits you / and your personality / don’t you think / that it would be a great idea / to let children pick a second name by themselves / in order to help them create their own identity right from the beginning ? / i don’t know what you look like / but i want you to know / that you are beautiful / and i know that there may be times where you will doubt about it / because of other people’s words / which are drowning in beauty standards / introduced by a society / that then makes profit out of people’s complexes / i don’t know whether you have any siblings / nor do i have an idea of who your father is / but i truly hope that we are still together / although chances are that we might have divorced / since that happens to about fifty percent of couples / but even if this is the case / i am sure that he loves you as much as i do / because whereas romantic love can be parabolic / parental love stays constant / and is not confined by circumstances / but who knows / maybe the three of us are reading this letter together ? / i hope that you know / that your feelings are valid / and that they can tell you a lot / about what you need in your life / especially during times / when you feel like / nobody really understands you / i wish for people in your life / who make you smile / laugh / happy / grow / and i encourage you to be all that for yourself too / i want you to find your own path / in a world where so many have followed / the ones walked by their ancestors / i hope that you are not afraid / of speaking up for yourself / and pursuing your goals / even if that means leaving your comfort zone / and learning how to walk on your own / without forgetting / that your family can provide crutches / whenever you fall