Zainab Abu Halib
Eyes clouded blue look
at a picture of a baby
who will never be a child.
Nursed by prayer in disaster—
an assertion that she could be.
Every breath a miracle,
every heartbeat stolen,
(surrounded by death himself.
Who was no god—
only a human man
with a stomach bloated by oil
and the slime of greed.)
Skin sunk behind
her eyelids
As receding muscle pulled hungrily
at her flesh,
begging for fat that isn’t
there
The never child has a body
with a stomach bloated by her own emptiness
and dark eyes that would hold every star,
if they could see past five months old.
Monty Cooke (they/he) is an English adolescent education major at SUNY Fredonia. They often host open mics in their hometown and are the events coordinator for SUNY Fredonia’s Writers’ Ring. Monty’s work has been published in the 2024 and 2025 edition of The Trident, Fredonia’s literary magazine.