“Coming in Second” by Ruth Sabath Rosenthal
Body chilled by years of neglect,
my twin lies in a hospital bed
trying to grasp how she’s come
to this. The sum of my fears
she’s the one person I dread
I could be, save for some kink
in our link of genetic fiber.
Struggling not to catch her death
of cold, I’ve steered clear of her
notion that our birth was not just
conceptual happenstance. Yet
at times, I find myself more
akin to that than sanity
permits, and though I fall
into the black hole of her undoing
so far I’ve managed to climb back
out — into the asylum of my life.
Out, according to my twin,
much the same way I exited the womb,
climbing over her in order to be first.
____________________
Share your response to this work, in any form, here
RUTH SABATH ROSENTHAL is a New York poet, well published in the U.S. and,
also, internationally. In October 2006, her poem “on yet another birthday” was nominated
for a Pushcart prize. Ruth has authored five books of poetry: “Facing Home” (a chapbook) —
“Facing Home and beyond”– “little, but by no means small” — “Food: Nature vs Nurture”
and “Gone, but Not Easily Forgotten.” The books can be purchased from Amazon.com.
Please feel free to visit Ruth’s website: www.newyorkcitypoet.com and, also, her blogsite:
www.poetrybyruthsabathrosenthal.com
