Your Libido May Suffer Postpartum
by Maria Ferguson
The woman at the café is moving her mouth
as if she were speaking. I have worn the same outfit
for the past four days. It doesn’t matter what time it is,
it’s always indigo in this house and a ship is always
about to leave, blasting its clamorous horn.
I speak, it has to be said, with an unparalleled eloquence.
I could go on for days about the beautiful strangeness
of the number thirty-nine. I can’t remember
my postcode. Mum’s middle name.
I never used to drink coffee, or dream in black and white.
These days people speak to me in a slightly higher register.
They think I haven’t noticed.
It’s always Tuesday. 3 p.m. Always a fan on full
in my room, making the curtains dance.
As soon as I reach the climax I second-guess myself.
Do I really deserve to be here? Did I bring a coat?
Maria Ferguson is an award-winning writer and performer. Her poetry has been widely anthologized and published in literary magazines such as Magma, The Rialto, and The Poetry Review. Her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. Her second collection, Swell, is forthcoming with Penguin in 2025.
Photo by Suzi Corker.