My Morning Sickness

my morning sickness

is a morning dream

of reaching for the girl

that keeps falling

off my edge

recurring memories

dive-bomb the present

bloom 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)