Halsey Hyer
Boy Has Miscarriage
Not even a fetus
can withstand a stay inside
his dizzy wasteland of a body.
He punches himself in the gut—
over & over with his jutted pointer knuckle
to get a real sharp blow.
He pulls a bright red clot
from the crotch pocket of his boxers,
cradles it in the palm of his hand.
Blood trickles down
his leg & stains his sock
as he throws it in the trash.
He types miscarriage
6 weeks into Google
& Google says:
Your baby is the size of a poppyseed!
His baby is a butterfly
knife flowing out.
Halsey Hyer is currently earning their M.F.A. in Poetry from Florida International University. They are an Associate Editor for the Pittsburgh Poetry Journal, member and mentor of the Madwomen in the Attic writing workshops, and collective member of The Big Idea Bookstore. Their work has been featured or is forthcoming in Voices From the Attic Anthology, The Blue Nib, Show Us Your Papers Anthology, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, and elsewhere.