Return to Top of Page
Menu
  • Close
  • About Us
  • Contributors
  • Donate
  • Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Submissions
  • 20 Years
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Search Website
Literary Mama
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Departments
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
patterns on water
Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

Poetry | July/August 2022

Picking Sunflowers While Pregnant

By Richelle Buccilli

My heart, doubled, looks for the yellowest
petals, the sturdiest stem. 
Honeybees cling to the centers like moths
to a bright bulb. 
The air is noisy with insect music,
voices fuzzy and distant. 
I can hear the child crying. The car tire
slipping in mud. I see a woman
handing another woman lemonade. 
Human bodies are so small on a hill,
spaced between the other 
like destinations on a map. 
 
When I am deep within the field,
the stem breaking against
the shears between my palms, the flower 
detaching as it falls 
seamlessly, helplessly—
close enough to hear the weeds
fold beneath my feet, 
I know no one else can know this. 

Tagged: July/August 2022

1 reply on “Picking Sunflowers While Pregnant”

Linda devossays:
July 20, 2022 at 10:33 pm

Stunning

Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This Page

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Copy Link

Richelle Buccilli

Learn More

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Don't miss out on Literary Mama news and updates

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • RSS

© 2023 Literary Mama | Search Site | About Us | Staff | Submissions | Privacy Policy