I dreamed it was a baby
just shriveled from the womb,
eyes filmy, a baby
whose bird-like bones stretched
just beyond the crossbeam
and no further,
a baby who forgot to scream
at the hammer’s thud,
thought the sharp nail a nipple,
sucked the world in.
“Cross” was previously published in How to Fit God into a Poem (Painted Bride 1993 Chapbook Winner) and in Weeknights at the Cathedral. The author owns all rights.
