Microchimerism
Little emperor
the nucleus of every cell
your genes, locked into mine
dictate the future. You took
each strand of DNA and
snapped it like a stick
I am a potion of your own
creation, alchemy made flesh
you are woven into everything
stitches in a wound
feathers in a nest.
Katie Oliver
Katie Oliver writes flash fiction, poetry and short stories. She has recently been shortlisted or commended in various flash fiction competitions, including the Bridport Prize, Reflex Fiction and the Bath Flash Award, and has further work published by Funny Pearls, Dust Poetry and Popshot Quarterly. Her short story, ‘TimeOut’, features in The Box, (Fincham Press, 2019). She can be found on Twitter under @katie_rose_o
About This Poem
I wrote this poem about my son and the phenomenon of fetomaternal microchimerism, whereby cells from a fetus pass through the placenta and establish cell lineages within the mother - the sense of being forever altered by the process of pregnancy, birth and motherhood