Wendy Wisner‘s poem “Nursing: Two Years Old” was first published in Issue 75 (Fall 2010) of the minnesota review (excerpted below). Since then, Wisner has just released a new book of poetry, Morph and Bloom (2013). Wisner is also the author of Epicenter (2004), as well as a chapbook, Another Place of Rocking (2010). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Prairie Schooner, The Spoon River Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, Rhino, Natural Bridge, 5AM, and Verse Daily. Wisner is also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and blogs about breastfeeding, motherhood, and writing at www.nursememama.com. She lives in Bayside, New York with her husband and two sons. You can read more about Wisner’s most recent book on her website.
Nursing: Two Years Old
1.
As he falls asleep, he tucks his free hand
under the elastic of my sports bra.
This is what he’ll remember
even after it seems absurd
to suck on his mother’s breast—
his fingers locked against my skin,
the sweat of his palm mixing with the sweat
beneath my breast, and the darkness,
the sweet darkness of our bodies softly touching.
2.
Yes, he is wild, careless and wild,
his teeth scraping my nipple
as he rolls away, kicking and laughing,
then back to me, always back to me,
my breast stretched like a pipe
in his grinning mouth. And yes,
sometimes I want to throw him
across the room, his monkey-
body pouncing the walls—
but mostly I want him back
on the breast, in the ancient dark,
the beastly hold of sleep.
You can read the rest of Wisner’s poem through our online archive, available through Duke University Press.
The Minnesota Review 