a poem by Matt Barnsley

blackened baby hole,
a womb of concrete and water
impregnated two days ago
by fear, shame, and a rejection
of motherly love,
similar in means to Moses
but with opposing ends
 

aside from the audience
of alley cats and garbage
(and with the natural exception of her mother)
an old Puerto Rican woman
was the first to hear Delilah
still in pseudo-utero,
herald her own presence into the world
with red lights
camera crews
and a song
written about
blackness
flashlights
and loneliness.