by Debra Varnado

1. Prenatal Poem

I am a poem waiting to be born
not quite ready for the nursery
a headless bird
with no where to go
lying in the driveway
soaking up the rays of the sun
in absentia
I attract the
May flies of death
to race about my corpse

2. Postpartum Poem

I caught the violin
and stuffed it back into its case
the case ran across the room
to the piano
for safety
the piano crashed
down about
it and the headless bird
was so tired…
so weak