Father to be

Last night you sat down next to me
and rubbed your hands over my belly
and spoke to the baby residing there.
You called him by name, called him
by pet name, called to him and told
him what lies in your heart. I watched,
at first surprised, then embarassed
then amused, and amusement finally became
love. For a man who will be the father
to our baby, who already loves the little
child who will make our family complete.
You take away the fear that I have
about what kind of father you will be,
you leave me glowing with the anticipation
of the family we will become for our child.

Worry

Out of worry you advise me
not to see the doctor
not to visit the clinic
not to submit to tests
because worry shrouds your life
two children and two marriages later
you blink worriedly up at the world
only saying, do not conceive,
do not marry.

Consult at the Fertility Clinic

"You look perfect", she said
looking over charts
flipping through pages
of tests and documentation,
she speaks on of plans,
what he now needs to do,
checking counts and depending on
how many swimmers whether we go
one way or the other
and yet through all of the plans
all of the talk of samples,
shipping and semen,
all the considerations
of which proceedure would be worse
echoing through it all
is the word perfect
in the ears of a little girl
who thought she was broken.