Mikaela Nyman

As I See It

In the embryo
the paired paramesonephric ducts
or Müllerian ducts
 

run down
the side of the
urogenital
ridge

ending up at
the Müllerian eminence
in the primitive
urogenital sinus

Müllerian ducts
exist in embryos
of both sexes

In females
they develop to form
the uterus, cervix and
Fallopian tubes

In males
they are lost

Sometimes
embryonic tissue
becomes trapped

in a secret pocket
of a Müllerian duct
biding its time
multiplying layers

of cells
that later in life
wreak havoc
with the immune system

Had you been my brother
this would never
have happened

 

 

you hit
the paradise ducks
because you couldn’t swerve
your bike to the left

flattened
feathered
lumps
 

another lump
putting pressure
affecting
your motor skills

 
new beginnings
a raw longing

the recorded message
Mum’s whisper on the phone
ugly facts cause
knots in strange places

 
(forget children)

the treatment
devours
your flesh

your appetite
your thoughts
on constant replay
eating mine

embryonic
husks
embedded
 

eyebrows reappear
 
a pair of falcon wings

By Mikaela Nyman

(Vanuatu / Wellington, NZ) is a New Zealand writer currently based in Vanuatu, where she is working on Pacific development issues.