Today's poem is by Ayelet Amittay

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Lithium adheres to lipids, binds to my milk, all fat and song. The baby latches on and sucks. Filtered by the kidneys, over time the harm accretes. Over time, the thyroid burns out like a star. The baby has no choice, she will be Lithium's patient too. Or, I could keep her safe, not take Lithium, let the horror lick my ankles, slobber on my wrists. Lithium, I transformed myself into a nurse to run this gauntlet, to warden this prison of a brain. My whole life tilting toward this whirl. Lithium, you and I, we choose who is worth saving.

Copyright © 2025 Ayelet Amittay All rights reserved
from The Eating Knife
Fernwood Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission