Pregnancy Test, March 2005

Pregnancy Test, March 2005

by Emily Tallman

There have been others before,

anxious minutes of sweating and heavy heartbeats,

waiting for results while counting over days

in my head, hoping I’d made an error.

I’ve been lucky so far in my gambles,

hands shaking with relief while hiding

the solemn box in the trash,

with the label facing down.

Now I sit in our bathroom twisting

my new wedding ring and for the first time

something prickles inside my gut. I still need another

year, maybe two before I can truly pass this test.

Yet, I am not sweating, I even enjoy the possibility,

if only for these two minutes. I count

the seconds and listen to the clock asking

What if? What if?

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