Swimming in a pool of crimson, she melts,
her pounding pelvis contracts: a 3 month reminder now (no longer monthly thanks to modern science) that these contractions, though similar, will never birth life.
so, she lays back, floats in the pulpy burgundy smoothie
free bleeding, free crying
wraps herself in the warm agony of a burning uterus and gushing grief
because some days you rise up
because some days you melt
pierced and achy.
Sonia Chintha is an Indian American writer who lives in the Washington DC area. She blogs, writes poetry, and fiction. She is also an English teacher who believes that our experiences teach us more than any test. She is the founder and co-editor of Good Little Girls.
Crunch crunch chomp chomp Buzz buzz Eagle Lake One two Three four Five Six Eagle Lake Climb climb Trip catch Buzz buzz EAGLE LAKE!
Illustration by Deema Alawa Brown girl, fragile by Sonia Chintha I swim in the clear soup of your fragility A backstroke that inevitably feels like
Walking through a field of sinking sand I push hard for clarity it doesn’t matter those words don’t matter I will not let them attach