You worry about flight. How your body will take to air with so much water, so many growing bones. She pushes against the seat belt & you haven't slept for days, too many nights celebrating your own birth to concern yourself with hers, so you fall asleep, lulled by hum, metal on wind, her wings practicing flight inside you. "Ma’am, are you Okay? Can you hear me??" You wake in panic. What have you let your body do? But, no, not you. Across the aisle, they cannot wake a woman twice your age. How many bones has she already grown? How many flights inside? And now, her hands, her mouth refuse to move. They get a nod at first and then a name. They find a nurse among the passengers. They lay the woman on the floor, bring down her blood, pressure cuff wrapped around her foot. You realize you've had to pee for hours, but refuse to walk across her body. "Don't cry," they tell her, but she keeps apologizing. "Nothing to be sorry ‘bout, you’re gonna make yourself feel worse," the nurse reminds, "In and out, remember, in and out." You listen too and breathe. It's quiet now inside you. No pushing to get out. Your body yours while she is held and lifted back into her seat, and you are now just minutes from the earth, in and out, how breathing is a lot like water, in and out, a lot like soil, the body’s predetermined movements, returning always where you came. Ignited early morning clouds surround and though you are not one to pray, you do, ask god to bring her safely down, in and out, as soon as metal touches ground, in and out, your daughter’s boning wings push in and out your ribcage.
Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach emigrated from Ukraine at age six. She is author of three collections, The Many Names for Mother, Don’t Touch the Bones, and 40 WEEKS (YesYes Books, 2023). Her poems have appear in POETRY, Ploughshares, and APR. She holds an MFA from University of Oregon and a Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania. She is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Hendrix College and lives with her family in Little Rock, AR.
Upcoming Events:
4/6 / O, Miami Festival Cervecería Poesía | A writing workshop, Led by Jen Karetnick, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, and Mary Block, Presented in Partnership with SWWIM / Cervecería La Tropical / Live / 7-9 pm / Pay what you can ($15-$50) / Register here
4/12 / Meet the Artist with Didi Jackson / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed / 6 pm / Free
4/12 / Poetry Reading with Didi Jackson and Judy Ireland / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed / 7:30 pm / Free
4/15 / O, Miami Festival Check out a Poet with Mary Block / Books & Books Coral Gables / Live / 2-5 pm / Free
4/28 / O, Miami Festival Conjuring Spirits: An Ekphrastic Workshop, Led by Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Presented in Partnership with The Deering Estate / Live / Sold-Out
* Are you a SWWIMmer with literary news to share (publication/feature/award/book/book review)? We’d love to shout out your accomplishments in our Weekly Spotlight! Please email swwimmiami@gmail.com. (No DMs, please.)
**We do our best to preserve the integrity of each poem; however, due to programming limitations, some poems may read differently on a mobile phone and in certain browsers. For best viewing, use Chrome on a desktop/laptop.