Pris
Campbell
Afterbirth
Told
she would die of
this lump growing in
side her—
go
karmic
go spirit
go angels singing
from the
realms of glory—
she buys a low
cut red shimmy
shammy dress,
seduces the Jamaican lawn boy,
mails
her husband's mistress
faked records;
Mr.
Jonas: Herpes, advanced stage!!
Oh, so official.
She
withdraws their savings in ten
dollar bills, spends weeks
hiding
each bill separately
in the gardenias
the A/C duct
under
the carpets
inside every bra, dress, shoe and book
she
still owns.
The lump,
this lump, now
her
baby
come full term,
implodes,
a whoooooosh
of
after-
birth taking her with it,
feet first, flying
away
from this strict
overplushed house
away from her
faux-porcelain
mouthed husband,
only
that
wrinkled
hand-clenched
desperate red dress
marking
her shrunken
sad space on the bed.
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Pris Campbell
co-created one of the first nude male calendar in her pre-communal days
in Boston. Later, she sailed from Boston to Florida over a six month
meandering period in a 22 foot sailboat, aptly named, Little Adventure.
She was a Clinical Psychologist for sixteen years before being
sidelined by CFIDS in 1990. Her adventures continue now by way of her
poetry, which has been been published or accepted for publication in
such journals as MiPo Publications (print and digital), Thunder Sandwich, Blackmail Press, Peshekee River Poetry, Limestone Circle (print), Niederngasse, Erosha, Dufus, Mind Fire, Dakota House, Verse Libre, Woman of the Web Anthology. Her haiga/haiku have appeared in several journals, including Simply Haiku. Haiga Online and Short Stuff. Her chapbook, Abrasions,
can be ordered from Rank Stranger Press. She now lives in the greater
West Palm Beach, Florida with her husband, one crazy dog and one stray,
(now) fixed cat who rode out Hurricane Wilma in her house with four
newborn kittens. Visit her website at poeticinspire.com or her blog at poeticinspire.blogspot.com.
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