Poetry: In Honor of Julien's 28th Birthday

prenatal countdown

precious parasite-
once a fish, you swam & grew on the waters of my ocean.
now you are a creature more akin to astronaut,
weightless in my space,
tethered to me, the Mothership
not yet having walked on Earth or Moon
(what do you dream?)

soon you will be forced
to mold your head
to escape a tight situation
& we both will be forced
to mold our minds
to form a new RelationShip
(what do I dream?)

*********

Julien, our sweet seed--
you sprouted & grew in my womb.
now you’ve come out,
kaleidescoping colors
ripening by air
blossoming lungs.
we cut you free
from your stem to me,
but you are not far,
a flower on my breast
my heart on my sleeve
fruit of love & seed of yourself.

*********

mother’s milk

my breasts ache & leak when my baby dreams of eating.
how can I give him glass & rubber?
how can I imagine him sucking a cow’s udder?
or nuzzling up to a can of Similac?