Cheryl L. Kaplan Zachariah
Chicago, Illinois, USA

 

Poet’s statement: These poems are clearly very personal to me, as I wrote each of them after separate miscarriages. I have since had two more, which I have not yet been able to write about. Although “infertility” is categorized as a disease according to the World Health Organization and many physicians, it is still unspoken in almost all circles, support groups are scarce, and art has become one of my only outlets for working through the grieving process. I hope that they may shed light in a dark place and offer comfort to others who are silently mourning.

 

Heavy. Period. Theytoldmeitwouldbelikeaheavy period . It was . Heavy . Period .

We breathe together His breath on my back This pain it can’t last Our arms intertwined Our troubles combined   We breathe together We grieve together We dream together Lying still in the night Feign sleep and all right Our hearts untied Our hope subsides   We breathe together We bereave together We believe together Gentle taps and bare kisses Be-longing caresses Our wishes deferred Possibility interred   We breathe together We think together We beat together Pull awake ‘fore sun rises Emptiness surmises Good mornings agreed Half smiles achieved   We breathe together We hold together We’re bold together Look beyond tired lashes Patience till time passes Our strength weak Resolves takes a peek We breathe together We team together Full steam together

 

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CHERYL L. KAPLAN ZACHARIAH, MFA, is a freelance writer, director, and theater arts integration specialist. She is an adjunct faculty member at San Jacinto College, a PhD student in disability and performance at the University of Illinois Chicago, and professional theater artist. She was the former director of Theater Outreach and Education at the University of Texas Medical Branch where she created plays and educational modules, utilizing theater to illuminate issues within the medical humanities. She has worked with a variety of professional theaters and community-based organizations. She received the EPA Clean Air Excellence Award for the Ozone Theater program and the Linn Wright Special Recognition Award from the American Alliance for Theater and Education for the uniqueness and efficacy of her programs in the community.

 

Highlighted in Frontispiece Fall 2012 – Volume 4, Issue 4
Fall 2012  |  Sections  |  Poetry