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3/21/2018

Sucker Punches

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by Heather Carnaghan

There it is,
the look of recognition

the scan of my body
and the moment she takes in
my shrinking waistline.

She gleefully asks, “Did you have the baby?”
Timidly, I squeak out “Yes”

My nod is too emphatic; it raises alarm in her eyes,
She was born, but
“No”,  my head sways left and right,
less adamantly
more confused

She never came home with me that day
Her eyebrow raises and I doubt my answer
Should she count less than babies who do?
My head bobbles, my gut contracts.

My limbs itch to run or fight.
I race to the nearest locking door

so I can catch my breath
before the next
“How many children do you have?”
“Where’s the baby?”
or “We’re expecting!”



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  • Home
  • Read & View
    • Fox Sightings (Blog)
    • The Beautiful Before (Poetry)
    • Our Stories (PDFs & E-Books)
    • Expressions of Grief (Artwork)
    • Grief Quote Gallery
    • Book Club
    • Submit a Post, Story, Poem, Artwork
  • Grief Resources
    • For the Mother >
      • Labor & Delivery
      • Saying Goodbye
      • Maternity leave with no baby
      • Build a Support Network
      • Journal
      • Music for Healing
      • Embrace Your Inner Artist
      • Get Active
      • Remembering Your Baby
      • Read About Grief & Healing
      • Become a Support for Others
      • Pregnancy After Loss
    • For the Father/Partner >
      • Build a Network
      • Journaling
      • Embrace Art
      • Find Ways to Remember Baby (F/P)
      • Read More About Grief & Healing
    • For the sibling >
      • A child grieves a different loss
      • Healthy Grief, Strange Behavior
      • Grief Patterns By Age
      • Rules of Parenting a Grieving Child
      • Children's Books & Resources
    • For the Grandparent
    • For Caregivers & Medical Staff
    • How to Support a grieving friend >
      • What is stillbirth?
      • What do I say or do?
      • When does grief end?
  • Memorial Planning
    • Components
    • Readings
    • Music
    • Program Templates
    • Other Ways to Remember your baby
    • Financial Assistance
  • Weekend of Kindness
    • Weekend of Kindness 2022
    • PROJECTS WE'RE PROUD OF
    • JOIN THE KINDNESS CREW
    • A FEW KIND IDEAS
  • Wrapped in Love Project
    • Project Wish List
    • Resources for Sewists
    • Project Gallery
    • Donate a Dress
    • Volunteer to Sew