My Morning Sickness

my morning sickness
is a morning dream
of reaching for the girl
that keeps falling
off my edge

reoccurring memories

dive-bomb the present
blooming up the gut
to break open
old scars in the heart

the dream fades

when day hits its fist
pulling fresh thin skin
over broken bone

I walk the park

in mindful stride
a stress-heavy head
chiseled clean by calm

I turn the corner

and sink into a stop
there, a man sits in the grass
holding his baby in laughter

and now, my morning sickness

concerns an unknown child—
a child that would look so much
like her and me


(From the book Selected Poems 2004-2007)