I.
ultrasound
hope
borne through waves of nausea
a heartbeat flutters onscreen
“there’s the little troublemaker”
II.
braxton-hicks
the abdomen expands
to accommodate life
agony’s thumb edges
down the center
an unseen hunter
pares the womb
with the blade
of her electric knife
III.
for my daughter
i do not yet know
how to write you
the language,
still nascent
writhes violently,
kicks at my ribs
i trust the words
will be born with you
