Hope Chest

It was her great-great
grandmothers, a mix of oak
and pine, wide and deep

enough to store a
everything a new wife
should need, plates, towels, sheets

own mother had taken
the time to fill it with things
she thought would help her

daughter to become
the wife and bride she knew she
could be, and after

she married, she sat
in front of the chest, sorting
through the towels and

dishes, and among
the necessities she found
a handwritten note

which simply said “always
have your own money. at least
enough to begin

again, should you
ever find yourself on your own. it
was signed “Love,

Mary”- the name
of her great-great-grandmother.
she didn’t think much

of it until nine
years later when she awakened
to find the other

side of her bed empty
and cold. and she remembered
the note, written by

a woman who loved
her and knew her story
before she was even

born, making her
transition effortless, and
so much easier than

it was for the many women

who came
​
before her...