Religious men will try to tell you
that every abortion is special
and to some extent I agree
I was inconsolable when I missed prom
and had to pay a woman to pretend
to be my mother so I could
obtain parental consent
Every citizen of this world is on trial
I’m learning to speak legalese
as I stroll through civil law like
a gamine through a sample sale
Kendra said she knew a doctor
who would perform abortions for minors
as long as you didn’t tear up
during the ultrasound
I looked all over Houston for him
getting fatter and richer as I went
This all could have been avoided if I’d
convinced an over 18-year-old
to sell me her birth control
if my mother wasn’t a Christian
and if the nurse hadn’t insisted that Kendra
swallow the morning after pill
in front of her as I waited
in the parking lot of T.J. Maxx
It wasn’t my prom exactly
I was a freshman invited by
my upper-class boyfriend
Gulp your items down
the nurse said
If there’s one thing I’ve learned
from watching Snapped it’s don’t
be a woman on trial
Outside the clinic
my poverty makes me brash
Now that I’m free I can go
to the Diane Von Furstenberg party
sponsored by Veuve Cliquot
in droll Easthampton
I’m not a wise man
I’m too fertile for that
But I can tell you that some abortions
are more convenient than others
And I’ve taken notes on how not to
be a poor soul
Monica McClure
© Monica McClure
Ett varmt tack till Monica som lät oss publicera den här dikten, som är hämtad ur hennes helt aktuella diktbok Tender Data (Birds, LLC). Det är hennes debut men hon har tidigare kommit ut med ett par chapbooks, och hennes dikter har pulicerats i publikationer som Tin House, Los Angeles Review, Lit Review, The Awl och Spork Press. Om du vill veta mer kan du besöka McClures blogg.
Ola Wihlke
BearBooks 