1 wrapping
5 their boxes full of three
2 Victorian tea
6 sets cups & saucers one cowrie
2 shell Florida,
3 wrapped longest tissue
5 & paper, wrapped fullest empty
1 because
3 it washed collected
5 two be bought home Three
4 Victorian tea sets short
3 of paper two
7 cups put together wrapped tight with plastic
5 their handles snapped & cowrie
3 excessive protected divine
2 pounding surf
2 has now
5 been pitched to be buried.
1 together
"I think our most courageous activity in life is just doing what we are supposed to do." —Jay Bopp
Wear is
God in my
clothes artificial fibers
sewn like seed of hand me down
wakings in hungry
bodies clothed in
government blinds
These words have taken several forms
since first put together. These will be.
kind nurses carefully
slip the needles
into the spines
of the mothers
delivering babies; before
the mothers were
offered medication fathers
or parents paid
for; before graphs
logged contractions from
thinning cervix paving
life; before all
of that, mothers
were given pain
in childbirth. Pain
delivering the babies
that lived or
died. All babies
came with pain.
Mothers bore it,
understandably cursing before
blessing God's giving
them the privilege
of bearing life.
What's to be
of mothers when
babies are grown,
and pain again
crowns birth after
rendering after—?
Dreamed today of a child
in body, impossible there,
wished the discomfort I feel
would be found to be a baby
in my womb.
Creative adaption, the
womb grown first, removed,
and then miracle there today,
I wanted, liked to consider a
baby was the womb
still there.
June 27, 2011, evening after 9
1 ice 2 cream 1 over 2 the 1 jordan / 2 sitting. 1 ice 2 cream
2 is 1 melting / 2 to 1 the 2 dead 1 in 2 the 1 sand 2 box / 1 salted 2 and 1 shifting
1 as 2 jordan / 1 two 2 waiting 1 for 2 whiteness 1 fall / 2 recalls
2 hot 1 feet 2 not 1 calloused / 2 morning 1 or 2 evening 1 or 2 clouds
2 parched, 1 bring 2 ice 1 cream 2 cold / 1 as 2 the 1 pillars 2 surround
2 us 1 too / 2 wistful 1 our 2 setting 1 of 2 lenses, / 1 those 2 cameras
2 bought, 1 one / 2 sweetness 1 sewn 2 sanding 1 call
cream melting jordan feet
bring too one
over to two not
ice wistful sweetness
the the waiting calloused
cream our sewn
jordan dead for morning
cold setting sanding
sitting in whiteness or
as of call
ice cream
the sand box / salted and shifting
fall / recalls
evening or clouds
the pillars surround
lenses, / those cameras
1 ice
2 cream 1 over
2 the 1 jordan /
2 sitting. .. 1 ice
2 cream 2 is
1 melting / 2 to
1 the .. 2 dead
1 in 2 the
1 sand 2 box /
1 salted .. 2 and
1 shifting 1 as
2 jordan / 1 two
2 waiting .. 1 for
2 whiteness 1 fall
/ 2 recalls 2 hot
1 feet .. 2 not
1 calloused / 2 morning
1 or 2 evening
1 or .. 2 clouds
2 parched, 1 bring
2 ice 1 cream
2 cold .. / 1 as
2 the 1 pillars
2 surround
2 us .. 1 too /
2 wistful 1 our
2 setting 1 of
2 lenses, .. / 1 those
2 cameras 2 bought,
1 one / 2 sweetness
1 sewn .. 2 sanding
1 call
ice cream over the jordan
sitting. ice cream is melting
to the dead in the sand box
salted and shifting as jordan
two waiting for whiteness fall
recalls hot feet not calloused
morning or evening or clouds
parched, bring ice cream cold
as the pillars surround us too
wistful our setting of lenses,
those cameras bought, one
sweetness sewn sanding call