ANNA REED

 

milkcrate

 

I come here for a filter       it’s my day  untethered    so of course  daycare will phone to say my kid is sick       insta pink eyes lit up in the sandpit        the wellington fault will creak a bit and i’ll be far away with each jolt stuck under a hipster roof in  milk crate

the brew tastes like a strong wind tunnelling in my chest        i’m not doing the best this week

I swirl a spoon in the ash       when they took my baby away i wonder where they took her

is she with tāwhiri his whangai child       I google how far can babies travel

wait until their immune system is developed and buy them a seat

did the wind carry her        & it’s too nice to stay inside           my heart is pounding i’m a drummer i’m a mama   full of beans                  I lost my baby like a receipt on cuba street                   I like the smell of honey & vanilla & maybe it’s just the filter

I feel like gathering up all my dying thoughts in pink hues         toddling on the kid’s playground      & squashing them like mosquitos

i just want to grab my itchy cup        &  run run run run away

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna Reed has just finished a Master of Health at Victoria University. She lives in beautiful Porirua and is mother of two young children. Anna lives with chronic illness and is a fierce advocate for change in our health system and making invisible illnesses visible. Anna has been published in Landfall, Takahē, Spinoff Parents and Mayhem.