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anarchypress —
Expecting
Published: 2005-09-30 15:11:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 4912; Favourites: 98; Downloads: 771
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Description
Expectingthree houses down,
the neighbor boy’s soft
spot has fused together
too soon. now his brain has no
room to grow.
I cannot allow my mind to dwell
the daughter of a guy I work with
has Down syndrome,
an immortal
toddler. her nose runs; she watches
cartoons. they have a special
guard
on the front doorknob.
I cannot allow my mind to dwell
my half-brother’s adopted daughter
was born
with spina bifida. she wears special
braces on her ankles
to help her walk. she suffers
operation after
operation, but
the doctors are certain: one day the cord
will simply
stretch
too
taut.
I cannot allow my mind
our first was born
perfect
except
for the second and third
toes
on his left foot. they are
joined to the first knuckle.
I cannot allow
my wife is 36. they stuck a special
red dot
on her chart. we consulted with a genetic
counselor
as our boy orchestrated mock battles
with a pair of wind-up Star Wars
toys, gifts
from McDonald’s.
she told us that the ultrasound looked
good and that the risk of the amniocentesis
outweighed the risk of not
knowing. she spoke like a stockbroker.
perfect babies are born
each second. there is little
in this world
less miraculous.
three months to go. I spend
the time.
Related content
Comments: 187
(1) I used to do "anthro" comics for my own amusement. In one early gag, two of my characters were looking in the window of a bookstore and saw a book titled "Should women have children after 35?". The boy turned to his sister and said "Somehow,35 strikes me as more than enough !". (wait for audience laughter).
(2) Sonar scanning can detect devastating defects and thus give the option of terminating the pregnancy before any further emotional luggage is invested in it.
(a)A woman is expecting twins. One is normal. The other lacks a heart,head and arms, as well as lungs and other internal organs. This was determined by sonar scanning. She opts for monitoring. Some weeks later, they learn that the blighted fetus is growing and thus the normal twin is in danger: it's heart,pumping for the both of them, might fail.
Minimal invasive surgery is thus chosen-the umbilical cord of the inviable monster is electro-coagulated and thus NO further nutrients or oxygen will get to the blighted fetus. This will not decay but will degenerate.
The normal twin is born at 9 months.There is very little left of the failed twin.
(b) Sonar scanning can detect anencephaly, cyclopia, conjoined twins (mixed together and hopeless,even inviable), and other syndromes incompatible with life.
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For some reason, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome seems to run in my wife's family. Supposedly, it doesn't have a genetic component, but her cousin has had it twice. (Both children lived the first time, one lived the second.) Her brother has also had it. (One child lived but was born crazy early at just over a pound.)
~Michael
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Acardius is an extreme example of what you mention (Transfusion syndrome) . Accordingly one treatment is a mild version of the treatment to shut down the acardius. The blood vessels connecting one to the other are shut down, eliminating the connection and enabling both unborn to develop without interfering with each other.
App. in the extreme case of acardius, the imbalance was established so early that anything like normal development never existed.
Also the placenta should be examined for any vanished twin inside of it (it might have caused cerebral palsy in the other twin !).
Also the doctors should shine a flashlight through the baby's head. In cases of anencephaly where a normal brain vault formed, the light will go through the empty brainpan and be seen on the other side of the baby's head. Such babies only live a few weeks or months -and then die when higher brain functions are supposed to kick in. They also may look toadish.
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This poem captivated me right from the opening. It had me in an agonising wait with the persona, and the subject matter is dealt with sensitively. I also liked the use of repetition, adding to the sense of fear and anticipation.
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Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
And thanks for watching me!
~Michael
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Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
And thanks for watching me!
~Michael
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It really is a countdown, isn't it? The last couplet/line is perfect. I had the same experience carrying my son. Oh, the stories we should never hear, which should never have happened...it's like giving birth to your heart, new and fresh and completely vulnerable. I have never been so, so, ah, [ ] in my life as the time I gave birth, and every moment since.
This is so well done, the warring aspects of the brain (or maybe the paranoid brain with the patient heart), batted between statistics and trust, so so vulnerable. Lovely.
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Thank you. And thanks for looking through my gallery.
And thanks for the 
~M
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Thank you, Helena. I'm glad you liked it.
~M
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I loved this. It reminded me of the novel 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things', which I also loved. It's striking and sad and lovely.
Thanks x
R
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Thank you, Ruth.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
~M
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I missed this first time around. This is absolutely first-rate, and not just by dA standards. Belated congratulations on a richly-merited DD.
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Thank you, John. And thanks for the
~M
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I noticed that as well! And I'll be onto your other poems forthwith (I too have one poem faved about 70 times more than anything else I've written. It's not very good.)
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there's something to that first glowbeat, the swimmers in her eyes. this is a lot gentler than it could be, good work.
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I agree. And thank you.
~M
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Dear Michael - forgive me for missing this but I stopped reading the DD's recently because (in my opinion) the calibre has slipped - this being an honourable exception. It is touching and honest and heartfelt - and more importantly, in my opinion, lucid and crystal clear in intent. Why have your poems stopped coming into my in-box I ask myself - I shall re-add you to my friends list in case you have become, by mistake, one of the disappeared.
Regards
Maureen
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Thank you, Maureen. I'm glad you liked the poem.
I don't think you were watching me before; I'm sure I'd remember. But I'm happy you are now!
If you see some good stuff out there, be sure to recommend it to ^imperfect . She's always looking.
~M
P.S.: Here is my own attempt at a Shakespearean sonnet: [link]
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Let me add my belated congratulations. I'm not surprised at your having gotten the DD; the talent was obvious to me from the first time I got a look at your gallery. But this work is certainly something special. Your best? Probably not, but perhaps the most universal in appeal.
And you handled the topic with an extremely deft touch. It's a fine collection of images, and together, they say something powerful, poignant, poetic. I liked the repeated line; it made perfect sense to me psychologically. As for the enjambments, some of them struck me as kind of random, which to me is a flaw, but others definitely contributed to the effect, especially the part about the cord stretching.
The description of the Downs child was as perfect in its understatement as a squiggle by Matisse.
Reading through the comments is also touching, really shows something about the community here. You touched a lot of people with this poem. That's what it's all about.
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Thank you, Ed.
I think you're right about the appeal. And while I agree that it's probably not my best piece, it is probably my best recent piece, and it was nice to see it recognized (as opposed to something I wrote a year or more ago).
[Speaking of my best work: Somehow, I don't think I'm going to see many of my poems about hot lesbians featured on dA, and more's the pity really. (You hear that, Toni?) With all modesty, I think few people handle the topic of hot lesbians with the deftness and sensitivity that I muster. And, honestly, who doesn't like hot lesbians? When I told Sheri, my original hot lesbian and the topic of many a poem in my gallery, that I was posting some of "her" pieces on the Internet, she was thrilled. She often asks me (arching an eyebrow over one of those gorgeous eyes), "How is the Sheri ____ collection being received." I would sure love to be able to tell her that one of her poems was featured in some special way - and read and enjoyed by thousands.]
I'm glad the repeated line worked for you. You've probably read my posts on my use of enjambment, so I won't repeat myself here. I am paying closer attention, but, you know, I gotta be me. I love to break up a line in unexpected ways.
I'm even more glad that you liked my description of Abby. I felt (and still feel) very self-conscious of it. The thing about her for me is that she seems so deliriously happy most of the time. Without meaning to sound pretentious, I wanted to capture both the beauty and the tragedy that she simply is. I hope I did that.
I was bowled over by some of the comments. As you know, it's rare as a minor writer (and I'm being generous, my friend) to receive that kind of response, to know your work touched many people. It's great that dA provides that kind of venue. As the site continues to grow, I hope that the interest in poetry also grows and that more poems are featured each week in this - and other - ways.
~M
P.S.: Thanks for the
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THis is told with such raw truth... and yet such gentle sensitivity as well. I find the expanse of images in my mind from your work to be awesome. Very.
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Thank you. You're going to be good for my ego, I can tell...
Do you have a regular name that I can call you? I'm not good with monikers like "cranberrydreams."
~M
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I'm so sorry I missed it.
I haven't been keeping up with the DDs lately because they have been depressing me. Now, I am upset with myself because I used to follow them almost religiously and when I stopped, I missed yours. I apologize once again dear sir. I hope it never happens again and I hope you get more DDs because you deserve the recognition.
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Oh, I was just joking, Sarah - because of your poll.
Why have the DD's been depressing you?
~M
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It reminds me of how I'm not good enough. Lol.
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I know. I know. Pathetic. But still.
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Why do you want a DD so badly? In the end, it only represents a few peoples' opinions. You shouldn't give others that kind of power over you.
Besides, it seems to me that you get quite a bit of attention on dA. Remember, Nora even picked you out at a nightclub - without ever having met you...
~M
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It's not that I want a DD but rather I wish they wouldn't pick out so much crap at times and seriously some of it really is crap. Yeah, Nora noticed me. Lol. I don't know how though since I look quite different in photos. She's a cool girl.
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My guess is that they try to pick out things that would appeal to a broad audience. I'm sure they also try to pick out work of merit, but the appeal would have to be there. Hence the preponderance of sexy photos of young women: nigh-universal appeal.
~M
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i am happy dear M that i came and read this
so wonderful
shows so amazingly how you love so deeply as a parent
the mind is
never at ease, never resting
always wanting the best
i wish the beast for you and your wife
and the rest of the pregnancy
H
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Thank you, Holly. I'm glad that you dropped by too...and that you enjoyed the poem.
And I appreciate your kind thoughts.
~M
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1. Congrats on the DD. Definitely a piece that every artist can & should be able to read and appreciate here on dA. You are most deserving.
2. The I cannot repetition is good. Very good. It allows us into your mind and reveals the swirls of thoughts, that on the surface, we would never know existed.
3. Marvelous, special, sobering topic. Reading your poetry is so refreshing. I look forward to it every day in my inbox.
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Thank you, Alison. And thanks for the
People did seem to respond well to the piece. It was terrific to get so much feedback, but it's been hectic trying to reply to everyone.
And that's a very sweet thing to say about my work...
~M
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... That's just amazing. You, sir, have some true talent, if -I- felt something from this peice (I suffer from the inability get emotion from most art). Keep up the marvelous work. -=applauds=- I'll keep an eye out for it.
~ Midnight
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Thank you, Midnight. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
~M
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very effective. I'm not so good with critiqing poems- but it seems to get a big response for one is a good sign. It does take more effort to love a poem compaired to a painting.
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Thank you, Felicia. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
~M
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Thank you, Jez. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
~M
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