The Human Body is A Hive by Erica Gillingham

 Buy it from Abe Books  

The poems about creating a queer family are so affirming, even in the challenges.

One of the poems …

Let’s Make a Baby With Science

We can’t fuck our way to a family

so let’s do the furthest thing possible

from the intimacy of our bedroom.

Let’s invite a dozen medical professionals

to ask us invasive questions with varying

degrees of empathy & bedside manner.

Let’s test my veins, my blood, my uterus,

my textbook ovaries until we lose track

of our week-on-week appointments.

Let’s find ourselves speechless after each shot,

not knowing how to respond to each other,

syringes empty, sharp’s box lying at our feet.

Let’s turn down invitations to all-night discos,

weekend benders & sweaty basement raves

because we’ve got at-home stimulants to do.

Let’s call the process a cycle, as if it natural,

then spend two weeks worrying about having

enough piss in my bladder for the pregnancy test.

And when it doesn’t work, think it should work,

we won’t know why, may never know why,

then we’ll do it all over again. And again.