Susan Calvillo – Poetry

Susan Calvillo

 

Urban Legend

 

I don’t make love, orgasm,
or stimulate my nipples

forget about cuddle napping,
doing yoga, or cat cow poses

I don’t practice labor positions
with squats, lunges, or deep pliés

I refuse to sit upright on the couch,
in bed, at the table, or anywhere really

I don’t pace, or vacuum, or decorate
the babies’ room

while watching my favorite
amateur baking show (Just Desserts)

all to keep those buns in the oven longer…
no—I am the laziest self I can imagine

don’t tell me they are old wives’ tales
don’t make a myth of me

as I desperately attempt to postpone
the inevitable labor

chugging 5 liters of ice water
on the couch every day

until I hit 38 weeks
when I do all the things

 

Back to Mother Folk

Susan Calvillo is a Chinese/Mexican-American mother of twins and the author of Excerpts From My Grocery List (Beard of Bees). Her writing can be found in Nightmare, Parenting Stories Gone Speculative, Zyzzyva, New American Writing, and other charming magazines. Keep reading at susancalvillo.com Follow on TikTok @thatbeardlessbard Or simply watch her eat cake and plant cacti on Instagram @susan_calvillo