Litter by Lauren Scharhag

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Litter

You watch them birthed
in a corner of the barn,
Mama made as comfortable as possible
on an old quilt.
You watch them grow, wean,
and begin to cut their teeth.
You choose names for them
that you know they will not keep.
In no time, they’re toddling around the yard,
tripping over their own ears.
You take pictures and post them online.
You put up flyers on the grocery store bulletin boards.
You interview potential placements.
Your son begs you not to let them go,
but you do, knowing that we can’t keep
everything we love.


Lauren Scharhag is an award-winning writer of fiction and poetry.She is the author ofUnder Julia, The Ice Dragon, The Winter Prince, West Side Girl & Other Poems, and the co-author of The Order of the Four Sons series. Her poems and short stories have appeared in over eighty journals and anthologies, including Into the Void, The American Journal of Poetry, Gambling the Aisle and Glass: A Journal of Poetry. She lives in Kansas City, MO. To learn more about her work, visit:www.laurenscharhag.blogspot.com

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