Fruitless

(TW Infertility) 

My body is built to bear children.

I must stop comparing my body to those 

of women who are simply built....

differently than I am.

My stretch marks are an atlas of the 

paths I've walked. From adolescence to 

womanhood, I have a story. My body 

tells, my story.

I'm coming to accept that I will simply 

never be that small, and it is not 

something to be shameful about. 

I'm coming to accept this with little 

anecdotes, such as, my body is built to 

bear children. 

But I still have days, where I feel like I am...

too much. 

On those days, I try to make myself smaller on my couch; 

but only end up making myself larger 

with each handful I shovel to the pit, 

in the bottom of my stomach. 

What can I use to console myself

when my disappointment in my looks is 

all consuming.

So much so that the doubtful light 

at the end of the tunnel is more tempting 

than the sun. 

And what happens...where does my 
anecdote go when, the children never come? 

When my gynecologist finds similes in words such as 'barren' or 'empty' 

My body-was, built to bear children.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2021

Poem

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Mullen Avatar
March 8, 2022 at 7:34 PM
Good evening Ms. Dillon, I am Kirstin Mullen, I am a Fourth year student at La Sierra University and I am currently using your "Fruitless" poem for my American Culture class. If you are interested I would love to set up a meeting with you some time this week if you can to have a short interview about you and your poem if you are willing. My email is [email protected] I hope to hear from you soon. sincerely, Kirstin Mullen
Mullen Avatar
March 8, 2022 at 7:22 PM
Good evening Ms. Dillon, I am Kirstin Mullen, I am a Fourth year student at La Sierra University and I am currently using your "Fruitless" poem for my American Culture class. If you are interested I would love to set up a meeting with you some time this week if you can to have a short interview about you and your poem if you are willing. My email is [email protected] I hope to hear from you soon. sincerely, Kirstin Mullen
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