This selection, chosen by guest editor Layla Lenhardt, is from Until the End of Time by Mia Herman (Alien Buddha Press 2023).
content warning for fertility issues
When the Pregnancy Test Is Negative (AGAIN)
I want to wake him with good news—
tell him he’ll never sleep again
because our baby’s wail
will still be ringing in our ears
long after she turns eighteen,
warn him that I must cut caffeine
and fish and booze from my diet
so life as we know it is totally over,
just once catch a fucking glimpse
of that mysterious glow
as I walk past
the bathroom mirror—
but the little blue line sends me back
to bed where I will implant myself
between the sheets and try like hell
to dream of good news.
Mia Herman is a Jewish writer and editor living in New York. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Hofstra University and her work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Barren Magazine, Bellevue Literary Review, F(r)iction, Stanchion, Third Coast, and Variant Lit, among others. UNTIL THE END OF TIME (Alien Buddha Press, 2023) is Mia’s debut poetry chapbook. 
Layla Lenhardt is the author of the full-length poetry collection Mother Tongue (Main Street Rag 2023). She is an alumna of the Firefly Farms Residency and a member of the Sundress Reader Board. She is currently working on her second full length poetry collection Little Spoon, and she is an MFA candidate at IU. 
