LILIBET ANA
ALL OF MY FRIENDS
all of my friends are pregnant.
they penguin-walk along
wearing their spandex topped jeans
frequently stopping to rest.
just wait, they say.
i said I would never get pregnant
look at me.
it’s wonderful!
as if difficult births
were the imaginary demons
of a neurotic mind.
seeing them wade through
cubicles and piles of paper,
swaying and resting,
it reminds me that I am out of step.
It’s as if they’ve discovered the secret
of peace.
I can’t speak to them about crazy boyfriends
crazy cars, crazy dances, crazy bosses,
crazy me.
I leave them rocking and swaying
back and forth,
back and forth.
I leave them and think
one more tie I’ve avoided.
I will be free, free.
APPLE
she ate it
that’s right, she did
she opened her hand
her mouth
her heart
she ate it
that’s right, she did
she opened her arms
her mind
her imagination
she ate it
and became
unrecognizable to herself
and to him