en·do·me·tri·o·sis (noun):
1. “The presence and growth of functioning
endometrial tissue in places other than the uterus
that often results in severe pain and infertility.”1
2. Trace the shapes of my bedroom:
one oval vanity mirror,
six rectangular drawers with
six gaudy brass handles,
four lightbulb spheres
squeaking as fan blades fade
into the off-white popcorn ceiling.
3. “The cause of endometriosis is unknown.
There is no known way to prevent endometriosis.
There is no cure.”2
4. Extra concentration is needed as my mind outlines
the amalgamation of postcards punctured with pushpins,
watercolor doodles of Juno Beach seagulls, a cribbage board,
paint-chipped bookends—Is it time for more medicine yet?
5. I’ve learned her dance for eight years,
limbs folding and jolting on queue—
a cockroach drowning in hairspray,
back on bathroom floor, legs
twitching,
squirming,
stiffening.
6. Gloved fingertips grip a clipboard.
A sympathetic nod and then,
“A new birth control, perhaps?”
7. Bullet ants
gnawing and crawling,
burrowing tunnels through abdomen muscles,
mandibles clamping the left ovary,
temporalis tensing
as I prepare for the sprawling sting of her
invisible invasion.
1 “Endometriosis, N.” Merriam-Webster, 2011, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/endometriosis.
2 World Health Organization. “Endometriosis.” 24 Mar. 2023, www.who.int/news- room/fact-sheets/detail/endometriosis.
Sarah Pouliot
Sarah Pouliot is a poet and editor from Titusville, Florida. In 2024, she was named the Outstanding Graduate for English from Palm Beach Atlantic University. Her writing has appeared in Saw Palm, Blue Marble Review, Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, and Living Waters Review, and she has forthcoming work in Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith, Ekstasis Magazine, and Sigma Tau Delta Review. You can read more of her writing at https://sarahgpouliot.my.canva.site/.