The New Mothers
The New Mothers
Original Text
Carol Shields, Others (Ottawa:
Borealis Press, 1972): 7-8.
1Nearly seven,
2walls loosen, it's already dark,
3dinner trays rattle by,
4nurses slack off, catch
5a smoke, let go.
6Roses bloom in every room.
7Nearby
8the egg-bald babies lie, stretching
9pink like rows of knitting,
10insects in cases, and cry
11tiny metal tunes,
12hairpins scratching
13sky.
14The mothers gather
15together in clutches
16of happy nylon,
17brushing and brushing their hair.
18They bunch at the frosted windows
19in quilted trios
20watching the parking lot where
21pair after pair
22the yellow headlights arc
23through blowing snow --
24the fathers
25 are coming.
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
2010
Rhyme
Form
Special Copyright
"The New Mothers" © copyright the Estate of Carol Shields. Printed gratis,
and specifically for <i>Representative Poetry Online</i>,
with permission of her Estate. Any other use,
including reproduction for any purposes,
educational or otherwise, will require explicit
written permission from the Estate of Carol Shields.