Fritz Ward
from BORN
Once I was a man
inside a woman.
And then I was born.
Once I was a man
inside a woman
and then you.
Once I was man
without you.
Once a woman let me.
Once I was you.
Once I almost married
a woman and her ocean—
and all the fish that died
between us.
Once we almost gave you
her name.
Once upon a time is a poison
worth learning.
Once you were you
who else could I be?
Fritz Ward is the author of Tsunami Diorama (The Word Works, 2017) and the chapbook Doppelganged (Blue Hour Press, 2011). His poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Best New Poets, The Adroit Journal, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. He works at Swarthmore College and lives just outside of Philadelphia.
Return to January 2020 Edition
Once I was a man
inside a woman.
And then I was born.
Once I was a man
inside a woman
and then you.
Once I was man
without you.
Once a woman let me.
Once I was you.
Once I almost married
a woman and her ocean—
and all the fish that died
between us.
Once we almost gave you
her name.
Once upon a time is a poison
worth learning.
Once you were you
who else could I be?
Fritz Ward is the author of Tsunami Diorama (The Word Works, 2017) and the chapbook Doppelganged (Blue Hour Press, 2011). His poetry has appeared in American Poetry Review, Best New Poets, The Adroit Journal, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere. He works at Swarthmore College and lives just outside of Philadelphia.
Return to January 2020 Edition