THERE'S A HOLE IN THE NEWS THE SIZE OF POETRY
(after Anne Boyer)

Jane Goldman

gravid uterus wet specimen gravid uterus plaster cast gravid uterus lead cast morphologies of parts of a woman dead in pregnancy in the ninth month the child in the womb in its natural situation made of lead full of lead this gravid uterus (already a grave) occupies a large portion of the abdominal cavity liver stomach spleen visible brown coils of small intestine visible (weapons) above and left of the uterine fundus lower anterior abdominal wall div ided down to the symphysis pubis swollen labia majora visible swollen labia minora visible clitoris in the midline (a weapon) upper thighs tran sected expose d cut shaft of femur and sur rounding muscles give a butchered effect a butchered effect is this real this is real give me gas and air give me gas and air is this real this is real as real as the palest stone and babies (question mark) and babies (full stop) and babies came this real way without anaesthetic without incubators without critical infrastructures and babies (question mark) and babies (full stop) full of lead blasted through a hole in the news the size of poetry