mother and daughter

today my mother
and i go to the doctor,
hoping to hear the

baby's heartbeat, or
maybe catch a glimpse of the
curve of a nose, or

the crook of a knee.
i am, after all, doing
what she did once, and

times, boy have they changed.
"with you, they used a tape to
measure my belly.

that was it !" i nod.
she squeezes my hand, eager.
the doctor walks in.

she is distant and
distracted. talking idly
about traffic, she

motions that i lie back,
and then absently unfurls
her measuring tape.