Free Lunch--Poem, Norma Hammond, "Regarding the Midwife's Question and a Mallard Drake"

TYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> Free Lunch--Poem, Norma Hammond, "Regarding the Midwife's Question and a Mallard Drake"

Other Poets/Other Poems

Gilbert Allen, Issue 42

Anonymous, Issue 17

Antler, Issue 36

Amy Beeder, Issue 16

Boyd W. Bensen, Issue 31

Donna Biffar, Issue 15

Kimberly Blaeser, Issue 27

P. W. Boisvert, Issue 39

Rick Cannon, Issue 28

Jared Carter, Issue 24

David Chorlton, Issue 40

Billy Collins, Issue 1, Issue 18

Philip Dacey, Issue 6

Denise Duhamel, Issue 13

Stephen Dunn, Issue 34

Stuart Dybek, Issue 41

Dave Etter, Issue 14

Norma Hammond, Issue 22

David Hernandez, Issue 23

Susan Holahan, Issue 12

Tim Hunt, Issue 42

Angela Just, Issue 32

Lisa Kadous, Issue 20

Julie King, Issue 30

Lyn Lifshin, Issue 19

Louis McKee, Issue 5

Eve Merriam, Issue 7

Pamela Miller, Issue 8

Lisel Mueller, Issue 29

D. Nurkse, Issue 9

Alexis Orgera, Issue 35

James Reiss, Issue 26

Len Roberts, Issue 2

Kristopher Saknussemm, Issue 10

R. T. Smith, Issue 38

Cathy Song, Issue 21

Judith Valente, Issue 37

Mary Ann Waters, Issue 11

Charles Harper Webb, Issue 25

J. D. Whitney, Issue 33

Bayla Winters, Issue 3

Lila Zeiger, Issue 4

Return to Sample Poems

Norma Hammond
Issue 22 Spring 1999

Regarding the Midwife's Question and a Mallard Drake

It had to be that evening
in September
when aspen logs

and hot dog skins
were spitting sparks
into our laps

and tendrils of burned
marshmallows
sewed my fingers together.

I'd turned to Olson's
Pond to rinse my hands
and found pieces

of a gibbous moon
which slid between my fingers
when wings brushed

the skin of pond.
I'm telling you about
the scent of mud

and feathers,
the fullness of him stretched
against the light,

while the moon
within the moon
within my rising

belly stirred,
like small wet wings
unfolding

for the first time
at a wiener roast
at Olson's Pond.