after Theodore Roethke’s “Dolor”
I will know the subtle buoyancy of lullabies,
clean in their songs, whisper of blanket and rocking chair,
all the insomnia of dirty diapers and formula,
solidarity in local restaurants,
grocery carts, bathrooms, and oh Lord
the quiet violence of screams and whines,
loneliness of electric bills, shaking hands, carseat,
restless cadence of hopes and dreams.
And I will see vomit from the curves in the road,
softer than moods, sane, more flowing than wind,
rift almost smooth, through brief Sundays of naps,
raising a plain rash on bottoms and rosy noses,
willingness of the knees, the waddling of hips in front
of feet, and maybe just maybe, immortality.
Josh Stroup teaches at East Central College in Union, MO. His poetry has appeared in the Moon City Review and other small presses. He is currently working on a collection of short stories titled, JOHNNY PAYCHECK SAID IT FIRST.
Archived at http://girlswithinsurance.com/index.php/poetry/42-poetry/209-js-0510-labor and shortlinked at http://frsh.in/az
