Having been her

​

Having been her

 

On the bus
from Newark to New York
the baby pukes
into the fox collar

of her only coat

 

She wipes the collar
and the baby’s soft face
then takes her toddler
by the hand
and heads for the subway

 

where the toddler
sleeps
at her knee
and she
herself
stares
out of the window
over the head
of the sleeping baby

She is twenty-seven
and very tired

Let me always
support her

 

Having been her

 

befriend her