To My Unborn Daughter

Geula Gerts

I must tell you about the water
that holds you, the fluid

that enters your lungs. I must warn you 
about breath, that you aren’t 

a fish with gills. There is a cord 
between you and me and it gives 

you air. I must confess, 
I’m the one to cut the cord-

This is to say you still will thirst, 
and you will drink from me.  

But that too won’t last. Darling, 
I have one tooth 

that has started to brown. 
You won’t notice at first. My lips 

will kiss your head 
and hide it. This is to say 

I am lacking. One day
you will discover the sea 

and like a fish your eyes will become 
lidless. This is to say you will see

everything, always—the gift given 
to those who inhabit the water.

 
 
 

about the writer

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Geula Geurts is a Dutch born poet currently residing in Jerusalem. She completed her MFA in Poetry at Bar Ilan University. Her mini-chapbook "Like Any Good Daughter" was published by Platypus Press (2016). Further work has appeared or is forthcoming in Tinderbox Editions, Rogue Agent, Jellyfish Review, Hermeneutic Chaos, The Ilanot Review, Cactus Heart, The Fem and The Boiler. She works as a literary agent at the Deborah Harris Literary Agency.