Doris Lynch
Bracing for Life
The man, a father becoming. His muscled chest and arms. As the mother gives birth to their first child, his legs and chest enclose and protect them. Or do they trap them beneath him? He leans close as though the strength of his calves and thighs, the powerful expanse of his biceps, will save mother and child from all predators, perhaps even himself. In how many centuries have men ruled this way, body framing mother and child? Does he curl toward them to provide safety or claim dominion?
The new father looks closely at the baby. Strikingly, her head looks similar to that of a pubescent girl’s. Her eyes wide, her hairline far back on her forehead similar to that of an old woman losing her magnificent crown. In the near darkness, little of the baby’s body can be seen. A wayward tear rolls down her cheek, bypassing her chin before balancing in air.
In the long night, only three naked and vulnerable humans seem to exist, Their strength and vulnerability not observed by friends, strangers, or even interlopers—only by nocturnal creatures. Do they offer protection or plot harm?
blood curdling shriek
the rabbit’s throat
seared by a fox
About the Author
Doris Lynch’s collections include Swimming to Alaska (Bottom Dog Press) and Meteor Hound, both published in 2023. She has won fellowships from the Alaska Council on the Arts, the Indiana Arts Council, and the Chester H. Jones Foundation, and awards from the Poetry Society of America, Genjuan International Haibun Contest, and the Haiku Society of America Haibun Contest.