The Baby Won't Sleep So We Go For a Long Walk During Which You Recount The Entire Plot of Space Jam - Claire Taylor

there were monsters

at least that much I recall

my mind a blank slate

as though I’ve birthed a new me

along with the baby

both of us

occasionally wetting our pants

deep inside

where they stitched me up

I am burning

a hot orb, stars

you’re saying monstars

gibberish, nothing but noise

these days, steady thrum of the breast pump

why is the left breast weaker than the right

why does he scream at five o’clock sharp

and three thirty-seven exactly, why

is Bill Murray there again

yes, of course, I remember

when Jordan played baseball, I remember

sleeping past dawn, the buzz of a cocktail

bar, the jeans I’ll never fit into again but

I’m fuzzy

on why they’re playing basketball in the first place

or if when he finally slid out

blue-faced and silent

did I actually ask you

“is he asleep?”

Originally published by Casino Literary, August 2021

Claire Taylor is the author of multiple chapbooks, including Mother Nature and One Good Thing. She is the founding editor of Little Thoughts Press. Claire lives with her family in Baltimore, Maryland, in an old stone house where birds love to roost. You can find her online at clairemtaylor.com