My 11-yr-old daughter’s question holds only possibilities
for admiration, no room in her “Taylor-made” world for detractors—
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate…
croons Taylor over our car’s speakers. This year
we’ve spent so much time in our car, driving each other’s crazy
schedules, racing the school-bell, drop-offs,
the car-pool shuffle I don’t love, but I do love
the way my girl belts out “Shotgun!” to call dibs
on the seat next to me, her joy at claiming control
of the sound-system, erasing the morning’s argument—
Oh can’t you see-ee-ee, you belong with me-ee-ee!
My daughter and I sing along, loudly merging
into the day’s traffic, and there’s so much to love
about Taylor Swift, I answer:
“I love how smart and capable she is.”
My 11-yr-old shakes her head, exasperated, “I mean
what’s your favorite Taylor Swift song?”
I tell her, “Anti-Hero, but really,
what I admire most is how fiercely Taylor stands
up to the record industry…”
I expect to lose my daughter’s
interest at this, but she cuts in—“Yes!
I saw a YouTube video about ‘Taylor’s Version’…”
and we’re off in a chorus of empowerment and potential—
Goodbye, Mr. Perfectly Fi-i-ne…
sings Taylor, and I just love, love, love,
as my daughter’s voice rises to meet the next lyric,
that she was born into a world
that already loved
Taylor Swift.
–
Jane Muschenetz arrived in the US as a Jewish refugee from Soviet Ukraine. Winner of a 2024 California Press Women Communications Award and MIT trained mother of two, she has appeared on KPBS Midday Edition, Spoken Word Paris, Verse Daily, and elsewhere.