can i just have a minute
to myself?
a minute?!
to think
to eat
to use the bathroom?

can i just have a minute
to write this poem?

to think about something other than
sunscreen
daycare pickups
bathing suits
fevers
butt cream?

can i just have a minute
to eat my lunch
without having to share?

can i just have a minute
to hop on the treadmill
to lose the weight
that still clings to my hips?

can i just have a minute
to schedule a hair appointment?
because if i don’t do it right now
i am going to forget.

can i just have a minute
to read something other than
the little blue truck?
a grown-up book perhaps?

and no, my 3 a.m. google searches about your face rash do not count as reading for pleasure.

can i just have a minute
a minute to myself,
to mindlessly scroll
on my phone
and look at pictures of you?

— kass mangione: “poemspartum: pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood, seasons (growth)” (2024)