Mary Makofske

Mary Makofsk is a poet, prose writer, and teacher, author of six poetry books. The latest is No Angels (Kelsay, 2023).

Before her academic career, she worked as a travel agent, reporter and feature writer, and health educator. She was born and grew up in Washington, D.C., attended Douglass College (B.A., English) and the University of Minnesota (M.A., English). Her and her husband live in a solar house.

A Tough One

In the time it took to write that poem,

I could have torn down a wall,

stapled in fiberglass insulation, nailed

up sheetrock, taped and spackled,

primed, painted, selected and hung up

a collection of paintings.

I could have raised a chicken, wrung

its neck, gutted and plucked it,

chopped it and the onions and carrots,

browned, stirred, simmered, driven out

to buy the wine, uncorked it, set

the table, lit the candles, opened the door

to our friends, dined, talked, laughed,

seen them out and collapsed,

cleaned up the kitchen,

recovered enough to make love,

made love, and slept eight hours.

Thank goodness I didn't have to write it

all at one sitting. Oh, no, it came and went like

malaria. For days or years I was perfectly well,

and then without warning fevered

with stumbling line breaks, shaky metaphors,

the fog of delirium. A vision of words

I loved. Their remembered smell.

Stone in my shoe, berry seed

lodged between tooth and gum,

sometimes I wanted only to be rid

of you. Pregnancy dragging on and on,

now that you breathe, I can see you whole.

Now I forget my labor and want

another and another.

— Mary Makofske