At an Arkansas OB/GYN Office Days After Roe Falls

I'm sorry for the extra-long wait,
the doctor tells me. None of us
expected this. Two hours
and finally I get to toss
my panties on the chair
beside us and open
the puke pink gown
just enough. We joke
about our husband's
intended vasectomies
while her fingers
ease inside.
I see you're not
from around here,
so I confess it's harder
than I thought
to be seen
by an OB, today,
in this state.
She responds, Imagine
how hard it is
to be the OB, today,
in this state. If only
this difficulty
could be
just imagined.

---

Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach (juliakolchinskydasbach.com) emigrated from Ukraine as a Jewish refugee when she was six. She is author of three collections: The Many Names for Mother; Don't Touch the Bones; and 40 WEEKS (YesYes Books, 2023). Her poems appear in POETRY, Ploughshares, and American Poetry Review. She holds an MFA from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Julia wrote the model poem for dearukrainepoem.com. She is the Murphy Visiting Fellow at Hendrix College.