Nursing Babies and Men

That I loved nursing.
That I nursed each baby
Whether they were hungry or not.
That they were always hungry.
That milk flowed like tears.
That my blouses were always damp.
That one night, I lay on my side,
baby nursing from midnight
until 2 in the morning.
That he finally took me
while the child nursed. That I felt my whole family
greedily feeding off me.
That my body felt stolen.
That I felt like Russia during all the wars
troops tramping over me on their way to Moscow.
That he didn't say anything
That the baby fell asleep.
That I wanted to sleep alone.
That the sky was still very dark.
That I left the house in my bathrobe.
That the streetlights begged me to go back.
That the streetlights said,
men and babies are waiting for you.
That the streetlights were traitors.