We did the amnio
But no matter its good sense
We failed you
We believed in the odds and not in you
Listened to science—Not ourselves
A needle in your mother to determine
How disposable you are
A needle that came so close to your thigh
You moved away
I saw it—I saw the needle and did nothing to stop it
I felt your mother’s hand tighten
I did nothing to stop it
Because in this world my Sun
Numbers have displaced Destiny
Science is stronger than soul
& we let ourselves be led
By the drumbeat of just in case
& just like that
The liquid was stolen—tested
& all was fine
The numbers were wrong—You
All right
But that night I couldn’t sleep
Kept up by the one question
I didn’t want to answer
What if the numbers had been right