| Photo By Brenden Work |
The baby is like a little wizard. He rises like bread dough, pushing to expand his world. His magnetic force pulls strangers toward him as if they believe his power will pass between fluid, endometrium, smooth muscle, skin, and cotton to their outstretched palm. The baby can’t have wine, wheat beer, or soft cheese like brie or camembert. There are no happy hours or cocktail parties. He must breathe pure air, no second-hand, late-night house-party smoke. Rock concerts make him jumpy as a tadpole in his little lake. Things change. The phone stops ringing. The baby makes demands: Twix bars, movement at bedtime, cereal when the moon is full, Mozart. He likes to sleep during the day and practice back handsprings and round offs at night. He kicks when he doesn’t get what he wants, lies sideways like an arrow in protest, his tiny toes jamming against rib cage. He grows fat, a plump parasite. It is finally time for the baby to come out, but he refuses. Doctors prod him. Nurses insert pills, gels, start a pitocin drip. Contractions squeeze strong like hands, but the baby thinks of it as a lovely massage. The baby is finally forced out, and he bursts forth like an overripe berry, cherry face contorted in anger, fist grabbing the bed sheet. He is momentarily blinded, mute, chaffed by rough hands. His head feels like it was in a vice grip. He finds his voice and likes the sound. The baby is bundled like a mummy, a soft beanie on his head. His voice slows and he listens to something familiar, louder and clearer than before. There is a familiar smell like spring rain. He calms and stares at the smiling faces that circle him. He believes he is the sun. |
| The Baby Paige Riehl |
| The Honey Land Review Spring 2009 Volume 1, Issue 2 |
PAIGE RIEHL is from St. Paul, Minnesota. She teaches writing and
literature at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, located just north of the
Twin Cities. She is currently on sabbatical and is working on her MFA in
Creative Writing at Hamline University. Her poetry and prose have appeared
in such publications as Tryst Poetry Journal, Prairie Poetry, Mississippi
Crow, Plum Ruby Review, The North Coast Review, and Red Weather.
literature at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, located just north of the
Twin Cities. She is currently on sabbatical and is working on her MFA in
Creative Writing at Hamline University. Her poetry and prose have appeared
in such publications as Tryst Poetry Journal, Prairie Poetry, Mississippi
Crow, Plum Ruby Review, The North Coast Review, and Red Weather.
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