One dreadful February, I miscarried.
It was the doctor's fault.
I kept teaching, even summer school.
Then we flew to Texas to visit relatives.
On my due date, on a dusty August afternoon,
everybody left to ride horses.
I stayed behind, alone,
To scream over and over again,
Dead oak branches overhead,
Sullen rocks at my feet.
After all these years,
Now such haggard years,
That baby still cries out to me in my dreams.
January 31, 2022
It was the doctor's fault.
I kept teaching, even summer school.
Then we flew to Texas to visit relatives.
On my due date, on a dusty August afternoon,
everybody left to ride horses.
I stayed behind, alone,
To scream over and over again,
Dead oak branches overhead,
Sullen rocks at my feet.
After all these years,
Now such haggard years,
That baby still cries out to me in my dreams.
January 31, 2022