Nathan Curnow

NATHAN CURNOW

The Midwife

she looks dumb on a bike
bowls like an unco
has to ask how to hold a racquet
she wears tracksuit pants that never stay up
blames her hips, her body type

she swings like a wimp
hits like a woos
runs like she’s falling over
and when she aims everyone ducks
even if they’re behind her

she jumps like a turtle
swims like a victim
can’t trust herself to float
she throws like a creature who has just discovered
the basic mechanics of their arm

but she delivers babies
and sometimes a baby comes falling
head-first toward the ground
then she will make that catch
that terrifying catch

she doesn’t know how to drop them

 

 

 

Nathan Curnow is a poet who lives in regional Victoria. He also writes short fiction and plays, and has featured at many festivals across the country as a spoken word performer. In 2010 he was awarded the Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize and was co-editor of the 30th birthday edition of Going Down Swinging.