"And Her Unborn Child"
By Anthony Roberts
Ten of you don’t have names
you all share the same name
…And Her Unborn Child
No birthday parties for you
no one to share
the embarrassing pictures
of you in diapers
to giggling prom dates
No first steps
no first tooth
no first kiss
no first love
no first name
no last name
it’s only assumed
so I know you as
…And Her Unborn Child
No wake
No funeral
no repast where
at the end of a long life
you would be remembered
your tombstone instead
on the left side would be bare
only the date of death recorded
if you had a tombstone
instead of a bronze panel
set into the steel
that became your mother’s shroud
shaped now
into the cradle that carries your memory
21 years later
your ghosts old enough to drink
another first denied you
watch those conceived after you
live the life denied you
squandering it on selfies
that use your memory as backdrop
Walk over to St. Peter’s
light a candle for each of you
whispering a prayer
that ends each time
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
…And Her Unborn Child
Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.
He is the author of Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.
You can follow him here.
Mike Reynolds is an active duty Marine and Marine Corps Combat Artist. Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, he left college and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, later transitioning to become a Warrant Officer. Mike's passion for creating artwork stems from the idea that art should tell a story, and the stories of the GWOT demand to be told. You can listen to our latest podcast with him here.
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