fetal address

welcome
to the ol’ rip ‘em out and roll ‘em around

i’m your mum,
and i know
a thing or two about you, transparent skin:

[8 wk female fetus, already carries egg cells for entire life]
[human embryos, indistinguishable from pigs, at first]

there fore

you’re older than
you think
you animal you, wild-
eyed, crying, clawing your way
from whence you came.

come
spring baby,
melting snow,
and i’ll crouch
in that birthing bath,
baby bath,
bloody bath,
boom.

and force you
into all of this
air, outer
spacial, regional,
national

sport and

the goddammotherfuckin’ pressure
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to
to

[14 wks gestational age, fetus can cry, softly]
[human preemies, covered in layer of body hair called lanugo,
mouse babies have no hair]

…hush now

just be
floatin’ in my fluids
listenin’ to my beats and my bowels

bug eyes
limb buds
back bone

blink, breathe baby