For My Niblings in Anticipation of Their Birth
By sam sax
For sol & ruby
my brother, knowing my work well, asked i not
include any references to semen in the throat
in this poem i’m writing you—so i shant. instead:
semen in the books. semen in the leaves. semen
in the ground that grows the semen trees also
known as the callery pear. semen in the boat
that carried our family here. semen in the waters
where we left our dead. semen in the meadows
where we buried & bled. semen in the light
streaming through the stained glass of our synagogue,
the image depicting an ark in an ocean of semen.
gossamer semen. octopus semen. garden of semen.
there are so many words for you children &
none of them are dirty—tho not all of them
are yours. now as you eat what your mother eats
her fear is your world torn & thrown to birds.
but still the light is thick in the trees. the callery
pears are loud this season & my throat is bright
with flowers for you both. such beautiful flowers
i hardly have the words.
