This spinach is organic
But the packaging is plastic
The Earth as we know is doomed
Unless we do something drastic
“Do the best you can” they say
And “Don’t sweat the small stuff”
But what if the best that I can do
Is not nearly enough?
Angry Housewives of Portland
I want to go and smash a vase
Or punch somebody in the face
Migraines keep me from The Drink
And so I scrub the kitchen sink
Tidy up the living room
And sweep the leaves up with a broom
I pull the weeds up by their roots
Pretend that each invading shoot
Is The Patriarchy
Waiting
I have waited
For my father to come out of a coma
With a black dress in my suitcase
I have waited
For the result of an amnio
The giant needle was the easy part
I have waited
For a placenta
To be manually removed from my body
I can wait through this
Bubbles
Sitting on the floor and blowing bubbles
As my baby laughs and shrieks with sheer delight
Each one forms a perfect sphere of colors
Floating in the late October light
Beside us on my table lies my tablet
With news of death, destruction, and decay
But the metaphor’s too obvious to bypass:
Who am I to cast this joy away?
The Kind of September
Walking barefoot circles
‘Round and round my tiny yard
All I know is that this year
Just keeps on hitting hard
The moss is soft beneath my feet
I breathe the tree-cleaned air
And offer to the universe
The fear I cannot bear
Handles
Every age has got its challenges
Every age has got its charms
Life sure felt overwhelming
With a newborn babe in arms
I thought I had a handle
I don’t think so anymore –
Yesterday this toddler reached
The handle of a door
Jaws
These days I sleep with shoulders up
And my jaws clenched tight
As though I could ward off trouble
Grinding teeth throughout the night
My molars are protected
By a little plastic guard
But there’s no mouthguard for my brain –
The empath life is hard
To Baby Iain
We’re sending the warmth
Of the sun as it shines
And the smell of tomatoes
That grow on the vines
The chill of the water
On plants so they’ll grow
We’re thinking of you
And though you don’t know
The sound of the wind
Or the bird with his song
We’re sending you summer:
Grow healthy and strong
Self-fortification
Instead of saying ‘self-care’
Let’s call it self-fortification
‘Cause we have to strengthen ourselves
In order to strengthen our nation
Nap Anxiety
Getting things done while the baby naps
Is always a bit of a scramble
You never know how long she will sleep
So it’s also a bit of a gamble
Meals or mess or mindfulness
You cannot do them all
So make your pick and do it quick
Before you hear her call
Emily Adkins Bostian 