Love at First Sight

"Love at First Sight"

When I met your father,

I thought I knew love.

A kiss in the morning,

Prayers together when the skies were dark,

Between the vows, so much more was said.

And I thought I knew love.

When I put my pencil on the page,

And lead became lines,

Lines rebelled into squiggles,

And the squiggles gave way

To words.

Words that, miraculously, others wanted to buy,

I had only been so happy once before.

And I thought I knew love.

When I first felt sick,

My belly rounded, heart pounding,

Bones rattling in ecstasy of anticipation,

I had to wait for weeks…

While a grain of sand became more,

And I thought I knew love.

When the half-warmed gel coated my skin,

And I wanted to guide the tools

With my own hands,

You popped on the screen with that

Quick, flick, flick, flicker

Of white light that had been your heartbeat.

My angel at first sight,

And I thought I knew love.

But when the day came,

And I bared down my soul,

You slid into this world

Born perfect, but—

Sleeping.

But still…born.

My little angel had already

Flown away.

They put a hat on your head,

on that warming bed,

Tears slipping through precious time

Falling from cheeks to your too-still chest,

And I knew it would always be

love.