Mythology

By Chelsea B. DesAutels

At first it was easy to tell the story

because it was actually happening

right then so we could tell each other

the story of how a disease infiltrates

a body but even then we did not recount

all the parts only the best ones

ending with how strong we were

and graceful but it started to get harder

because you had to go back to work

.and I was still sick so now it was just me

and new people and most people

don't want to hear your story

of grief unless they knew you before

see grief in a new person is ugly but

I kept practicing because I was hopeful

that one day I might tell the part

about that morning in bed—you remember—

the lake was choppy and it was hot

and raining so we closed up the house—

remember it was you and me

and the baby in bed—she was hungry

and I had to roll away and then we were crying

because we knew it was beyond the point

whether we were strong or graceful

and you were crying too and in fact

I'm still trying to tell that story

or at least write it down but I end up

talking instead about food and baby formula

and freezers of breast milk from strangers

and how to arrange the bags precisely

s0 the milk doesn't sour and of course

I always mention gratitude because

people like that ending.

Copyright Credit: Chelsea B. DesAutels, "Mythology" from A Dangerous Place. Copyright © 2021 by Chelsea B. DesAutels. Reprinted by permission of Sarabande Books, Inc..

Source: A Dangerous Place (Sarabande Books, Inc., 2021)