Original Sin
Baby is unique
untainted, original
We know she is special
Every baby is
She arrives without baggage to hamper
her way through tunnels or time
but she demands attention
AND HOW
Baby
means to survive
aims to be fed, changed, bathed
resorting to no more than a cry
a squirm
I observe Baby
now that she
breathes on her own
I swear I’ll keep copious notes
I’ll invite her for dinner or lunch
for a glug of lukewarm milk
I vow to take good care I WILL
Why, then, does she bathe in the sink
No one, not a single one, close by to lift her out
Why, then, does she not grow
Neglected Baby Pauvre Enfant
I have asked Baby to forgive me
Baby, Baby stay Baby, Baby stay
Do not become a stab in my brain
a chronic ache
a shrouded shout
a question mark laid out
in the morgue
daily vivisection
vapor-spiral woe going mad
beyond control though the venue is small
and it doesn’t matter where one sleeps
There is evil in the world
It awaits Baby
Sins even Sloth
fiesta through hills and vales
each time she is born
Morals and meanings stumble
but Sins know how to tango and tap
They make nimble partners
on the ballroom floor
Like tigers
they stalk their prey
Lead, follow, tight embrace
Baby in a frame, a pose
in a box
Tricky moves
l
a
n
g
u
i
d obambulations
warm morning sunny day
One, two, three, four one, two, three, four
We touch, we part
We yearn for tender mores
Baby beware
Baby be quick
Jump for the sky
Match to your flame
Watch the flares fly
Baby, there’s scorch here
Copyright Credit: Anna Rabinowitz, "Original Sin" from Words on the Street. Copyright © 2016 by Anna Rabinowitz. Reprinted by permission of Tupelo Press.
Source: Words on the Street (Tupelo Press, 2016)