The Miscarriage
The doctor says it’s an empty room in there
And it is
A pale sack with no visitors
I have made it and surrounded it with my skin
To invite the baby in
But he did not enter
And dissolved himself into the sea so many moons ago
I wait to see
Will the giant bean be in there another day
The women of the world say
Work harder!
The men in the world say
Work harder!
I work and work but I am an empty sack
Until I bleed the food all over the floor
Then I am once again with everything
Until the gods say, you’ve done well, good sir
You may die now
And the people who were asking me for favors all along
Knock on the coffin door
But I am gone, gone
Copyright © 2017 by Dorothea Lasky. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on December 19, 2017, by the Academy of American Poets.
"It’s hard to feel optimistic in a world that shows less and less mercy every day. Still, we must keep striving toward positivity and love, despite any inklings we have that this is a futile endeavor, because this is the only way to combat cynicism and evil. This poem was written out of feelings of hopelessness, but I hope that it brings solace and hope to anyone who reads it. This poem is about the immense power of creativity."
—Dorothea Lasky
Dorothea Lasky
Born on March 27, 1978, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dorothea Lasky received her BA from Washington University.