Birth
by Gail
Inspired by a column by Mike Barnicle in the Boston Globe, March 22, 1994
I have had that dream,
the sudden distended belly,
the surprise of a child expelled
into the toilet, the improbable
relief that shocked through my body,
woke panicked and sweating,
clutching the towel rack
before turning on the harsh light.
So I imagine her,
balanced on that hollow seat,
heroin heavy in her veins,
the passage of that denied burden
as welcome as a good bowel movement,
and I wonder how quickly she too
thought to plunge her hands
into the cold water and wake up.
