Dear Monster,

I wish I could tell you there is no reason to panic.

I wish I could tell you with absolute certainty 

That your heart will continue beating tomorrow,
Or that the sky will remain blue,
That the oceans will not rise,
That a flood won’t wash away everything you ever cared for,
That a masked man can’t just come in and take your abuela away,
That they won’t be back for you tomorrow,
That a man with an AR-15 won’t come and out your school on lockdown,
That there is no chance you won’t catch a deadly virus,
That your will be able to walk tomorrow.

I wish, love.
I wish, monster that I could tell you that you are just paranoid.

But, love, I cannot.

The world is not kind to us, Monster.

But you must find a way to put this darkness aside.

Bc love, it is far more likely that you will smile at a flower,
Or laugh with a friend.
Or watch a candle flame flicker at twilight 
Or run across a field to see a butterfly.

And bc each of these things is far more likely
There is still hope to move forward today.