The Return of Her

by Brittany Studer


She lay dormant an entire year
The baby’s cries,
The baby’s needs.

Then, the river flowed again,
Calling her to wake.

She did not want to wake at first,
To shed her mother-skin.

But beneath there lay
A woman, almost forgotten.

She lay dormant an entire year

Until…

Her cries,
Her needs,
Burst forth in ecstatic thrill.


* * * * *

Brittany Studer was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and many of her poems are steeped in imagery using elements found in nature. She started writing poetry in 2003 and finds the creative process deeply therapeutic. Brittany lives in Oregon with her husband and two young boys.