JULIE MARIOUW
A Soft China Blue
she didn’t want to see her dead baby
it’s why she stared at her hands
and I realized,
just this moment,
there were two dead babies behind me then,
not just one
two
distended
purple
bruises,
coagulated and still
they were right there,
yet she chose to ignore hers,
so she had to disappear
I swept them behind me
to wait for the explosion—
the heat of it blasted me,
his red face burning my skin
two dead babies
played with their toes
—smiling silently—
it enraged him,
he threatened to take them to the garbage
they laughed,
they were already there
just then
her skin turned a soft china blue,
I could tell she wished to join them
she thought it was her fault
—it wasn’t—
babies die sometimes
when no one is paying attention
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Julie Mariouw writes, “I teach online writing workshops through Wellspring Writing Workshops. I focus on helping writers connect with their subconscious minds so that they can locate and develop their authentic voices. I am fascinated by the healing power of creative writing and the role of the physical body in writing.”
