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Microchimerism by Katie Oliver



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

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