WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT
There are many things,
whether you like them
or not, that you must do.
Even your birth proved
a kind of reluctance.
Your parents were having great fun
but got carried away,
and soon your mother found
herself pregnant. Then they argued
for a long time about whether to keep
the baby. They changed
their minds back and forth,
but finally decided
to allow you into this world.
Don’t work yourself up.
What I said is absolutely true.
If you don’t believe me
you can go ask your mother.
Actually, you shouldn’t be too concerned.
There’s no need to find out
whether you were an accident
who threw your parents into a crisis.
What’s essential is that they chose
the effort to raise you and let their love
for you enfold themselves
body and soul, and let your existence
define the boundary
of their happiness and stress.
Don’t talk again about having your own way.
You must do what you should do,
whether you like it or not.