Numerical Happenstance
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
numerical happenstance. Yet,
at times, I find myself more
akin to that concept than sanity
permits, & 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,
the same way I exited the womb,
climbing over her in order to be first.
Ruth Sabath-Rosenthal is a New York poet, well-published in literary journals and poetry anthologies throughout the U.S. and internationally. In October 2006, her poem “on yet another birthday” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Ruth has authored 5 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. For more about Ruth, please feel free to visit her website: www.newyorkcitypoet.com.