July 17, 2018If Men Could
After the birth, after you believe
the baby will live, you offer your
breast to the rosebud mouth
and thank some goddess for
the latch and your faith in
thick first milk. Some nights
are hard and sleepless, days
too, but milk is the arrow
in your quiver, the one thing
you have made for this wailing
child that can quiet her and
feed her feral hunger. Never
let anyone tell you the milk is
not good enough, that men
in labs can do better. Their
milk may be the color
of sweet cream, but
by light of day it turns
a bilious green and curdles
with greed and envy.
from Poets Respond