Catherine Tufariello
February 2007

Useful Advice

You're 37?  Don’t you think that maybe
It’s time you settled down and had a baby?

No wine?  Does this mean happy news?  I knew it!

Hey, are you sure you two know how to do it?

All Dennis has to do is look at me
And I'm knocked up. 
                                   Some things aren’t meant to be.
It’s sad, but try to see this as God's will.

I’ve heard that sometimes when you take the Pill—

A friend of mine got pregnant when she stopped
Working so hard. 
                               Why don’t you two adopt?
You’ll have one of your own then, like my niece.

At work I heard about this herb from Greece—

My sister swears by dong quai.  Want to try it?

Forget the high-tech stuff.  Just change your diet.

It’s true!  Too much caffeine can make you sterile.

Yoga is good for that.  My cousin Carol—

They have these ceremonies in Peru—

You mind my asking, is it him or you?

Have you tried acupuncture?  Meditation?

It’s in your head.  Relax!  Take a vacation
And have some fun.  You think too much.  Stop trying.

Did I say something wrong?  Why are you crying?

           

From Keeping My Name (Texas Tech UP, 2004).