By Lisa Couturier
From Fall 2017
1. The skin of her fat belly was warm as I slipped my hand inside her oily pouch searching for babies she possibly left behind. No hiss or growl left in her. No more nomadic journeys driven by her hunger under the moon each night. Just this summer afternoon on the road and me kneeling, beside her, closing her eyes, her nose pointing toward the forest, blood trickling from her frostbitten ears. I am sorry, I said, as I tugged on the slackened muscles of her ancient opossum body carved open by a car, her feet like black stars. 2. Deemed necessary to proceed with cesarean section. Patient placed in dorsal, supine position, with leftward tilt. Skin incision with scalpel. Entered sharply. Fascia nicked midline. Vesicouterine perioneum identified and tented up. Uterine incision extended laterally with bandage scissors. Fetal vertex delivered atraumatically. Nose and mouth suctioned on incision. Remainder of fetus delivered. Cord clamped and cut. Infant handed off.