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Three Poems
Object Lesson I
Object Lesson II
After an Abdominal Hysterectomy
Barbara J. Bache-Wiig
barbbw@tds.net
Object Lesson I
Lost breast
its satisfactory replacement
washed and dried
remains alone during night
in foam cradle within a
sturdy green & white box
A friend laughs
“Ah, boob in a box, no,
I mean a new breast for your new bra.”
Together they recall an old New Yorker
cartoon showing a crowded cocktail party
when a man comes up to chat with
a woman wearing a décolleté gown.
He is almost unable to speak
for looking, and finally
the woman says
“This is my breast, sir,
you are a boob.”
Object Lesson II
Do you ever wonder whether
to wear or not to wear it
Do you ever get tired of the
weight of it, the nuisance of
washing, drying, and laying it
in its foam cradle for the night
Do you ever wish you didn’t
have to work to push it into
its daytime resting place
ready for the world
to notice or not to notice
Do you ever think
shape up, be glad you’re alive.
After an Abdominal Hysterectomy
“You can go home when
you pass gas.”
I passed the gas test
went home resting, waiting
and then one day
the real thing happened
not just gas
but the real thing:
a small, soft, dark brown
contained plop of stool
a picture of health
prettier even than rosy cheeks
yes, it was prettier than a lot of things.
Published: July 28, 2006
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