Poem archive

Poems

Read poems by Arizona and Southwestern writers, plus classic work preserved in the AZPoetry literary archive.

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itll take the edge off they say natasha murdock poem artwork pregnancy

2025

it'll take the edge off they say

By Natasha Murdock

The speaker rejects the reassuring idea that something can simply “take the edge off” physical pain because her experience of pregnancy and impending childbirth feels composed entirely of edges—bodily, emotional and psychological.