‘Humpty Dumpty’ by Katie Donovan

The red spills out of her,
my nymph daughter;
while I grow barren:
bald and shivering
between the blasts.
It suits me, this gathering in
of myself. But I hate to see
my pain live again
in her, the crunch
as her system gets going
for an over-efficient process
that will last 40 years.
She might bear two babies.
Maybe none.
She still likes puppies and cartoons,
Santa; my knee.

From issue #2: spring/summer 2016

About the Author
Katie Donovan has published four books of poetry with Bloodaxe, including Rootling: New and Selected Poems (2010) and Off Duty (2016). A former journalist with The Irish Times, she teaches creative writing at NUI Maynooth, and practices Amatsu (osteopathic healing).