Malaika King Albrecht

On Your Birth Day


I ride the steady refrain
of your heart beat, its simple
dance on the screen, a comfort
when contractions begin.
The song changes to a rap, a
beat, a pause, a
beat
and silence. The room
becomes a beehive
of nurses, doctors, equipment.
                                        A mask
on my face, I’m adrift, bobbing
on a huge bed in a sea
of activity. Push. I can’t
remember what the word
means. I think push, gush
rush– the sounds of water.
I hear a gurgle
and then a wet cry. This is how
it feels to spill the whole of you–
an ocean wave–
that knocks me back to shore.

Malaika King Albrecht’s poems have been or are forthcoming in many literary magazines and anthologies, such as Kakalak: an Anthology of Carolina Poets, Pebble Lake Review, The Pedestal Magazine, Shampoo, New Orleans Review, and The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel – Second Floor.