“Momblog” by Alissa York

No one talks about the life rattle,
the one she makes in her crib, florid
with her first-ever cold—the result
of a germ you overlooked. The perks

of parenthood, unlimited stains
on your record, dishonour splashed
across your breast. You could signpost
every spot: first waddle through the busted

gate; the burner where you superheat
the bottle; the clipped-too-close mistake
beneath her nail. While you latch a door,
she drops her diaper in a shitty heap.

Look at the flesh on her. She sprang
from your belly with a belly of her own.