“Worst,” by Dorothea Lasky

September 6, 2026I am the worst kind of personProtecting my little male babies at every turnMotherhood is ultimately hard on the motherGreen cherries hanging from the treesIt’s by misspelling that I learn the real wordsProtecting my little male babies at every turnGreen cherries hanging from the treesIt’s by misspelling that I learn the real wordsI am the worst kind of womanMotherhood is ultimately hard on the motherHard on the mother motherhood is ultimatelyGreen cherries and the worst kind of womanI am my little male babiesOnly by protecting the wordsOnly by misspelling do I learn the real wordsThis is drawn from “Mother.”