Rest

By Ash Bainbridge

stroking hair and lullabies / tired gazing with glazed eyes / at someone we’re learning to know / core-drunk on oxytocin flow / and adrenal / fatigue / ripe, flesh-aching / fatigue / lying back / flat / for every snooze / on a mattress wrapped in waterproof / dry and firm / to help lose heat from bodies worn / out / and growing /

no pillows / no duvets / no quilts / for rest / all toys removed / curling prawns gently rolled – / back to flat /  s  t  r  e  t  c  h  / arms flexed in victory pose / warmer than usual in fewer clothes / feet to foot / away / from spying windows.

Ash Bainbridge (pronouns: they/he) is a transgender poet, parent, and student midwife in Worcester, England. Their work explores these identities by harnessing language as safety, progress, and glue. In 2022, Ash was awarded a full mentorship with The Word Association. Their poems have been published in the UK by The Mum Poem Press and Bite Poetry Press, and stateside by Spoonie Press and Bleeding Thunder.