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Other than the obvious problem at hand which is the status of the baby, there are some other less prominent problems brought up in the poem which the speaker internally has. These problems are issues that the speaker finds with other less important things that seem to appear as a result of the stress he is under. For example: "[the doctor] pulls out the world's worst boom box" (4-5). The problem here is the equipment that the doctor is using-- clearly the speaker is expressing distaste in it, but doesn't express this to anyone other than himself, which is why this is an internal problem. It is such an unimportant thing to worry about when compared to the greater problem, but stems from the stress he is undergoing which inflates every little thing around him into a problem. Another example of this is: "After, my wife will say, in fear, impatient, she went beyond her body into this tiny room, into the ether--" (12-14). The speaker appears to be concerned about what his wife will be thinking, using words like "fear" and "impatient" to describe her, which imply that he might be irritated with the things she might say. This is another example of an internal problem which is very trivial. Finally: "and me-- trying not to dive starboard to seek you in the dark water" (19-20). The speaker has an internal struggle going on where he tries to stop himself from taking action because he wants nothing more than to make the situation better. This is a more important internal problem which he experiences.

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The diction of the first three stanzas is hopeless diction.  For example, the narrator--presumably a man--is expectant of a child whose heartbeat is faint, as made apparent by how he uses words such as "Grave" (1), and describes his unborn daughter as "peach pit, unripe / plum" (3-4).  Even by the end of the third stanza, hope has not been restored, and the "slow stutter of her heart" enhances this effect (9).  These stanzas set up the tone of the poem, giving the reader an uncomfortable feeling that something even worse may happen.  The contrast between the first three stanzas and the end of the poem bring about a euphoric feeling.

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"Starboard" is a nautical term used to describe the right-hand side of a boat (when facing it head-on).  When used in the short story, the speaker (or father) is using it as a way to say "I'm trying not to get ahead of myself." The nautical reference paints the picture of the mother's womb being a vast, "dark" (20), sea, in which the baby is "lost" in when the heartbeat is not yet found. The father, "trying not to dive starboard" (19), is trying not to let the anticipation of finding the heartbeat take hold of him.

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The diction used between lines 10 and 20 seem to express connections to nature. Early through the passage, the author uses terms such as 'fragile fern' and 'snowflake' suggesting delicacy, comparing the idea of his child to something beautiful. Later, in lines 15-17, the author continues to use language influenced by nature, but in a slightly dimmer manner, less overpowered by beauty and grace. The author compares the anticipation for a heartbeat to searching through mines with a lost canary - both the mother and the author are feeling anxious, searching for their child. Continuing in lines 19 and 20, nature diction resurfaces, being the author proclaiming that he will search for his child in "the dark water" (20). The use of nature diction surrounding the idea of pregnancy contributes to the miracle of life, so to speak, despite the mood of the poem suggests dismay or distress surrounding the search for their child's heartbeat.

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In the poem an external problem is them struggling to find the baby's heartbeat: "The whoosh and bellows of mama’s body

and beneath it: nothing. Beneath

the slow stutter of her heart: nothing." (7-9). They are scared for something that is out of their control, which is the fact that their baby might not be alive.

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The start of the poem utilizes a strong sense of poetic diction, for instance "plum—pulls out the world’s worst boom box, a Mr. Microphone, to broadcast" (4,5).  At the end of the poem, there's a strong sense of soothing diction, for example, "and fuzzy feedback. You are like hearing" (23). The transition from poetic to soothing diction could reference what's actually happening in the poem, which is the idea of expecting a baby, which is emphasized through the couple getting an ultrasound. In retrospect, an ultrasound can provide indication to whether or not an unborn child is healthy/unhealthy, and based off of the reaction from the couple within the novel the baby seems to be healthy. This clearly explains the use of soothing diction, as the couple is both excited and relived their baby is okay.

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The speaker is a soon-to-be father, as can be seen when "the doctor searches for your heartbeat, peach pit, unripe" (2-3). These lines clearly refer to an unborn child. The speaker is also married, referring to his wife in line 1.

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The significant of poem title "Expecting," by Kevin Young is referring to a mother and father who are expecting a child. After tragedy strikes, doctors attempt to find the child's heartbeat in an effort to save its life. The expecting father is overcome with fear as "The doctor trying again to find you, fragile fern, snowflake. Nothing" (10-11). This allows us to get an insightful look at how the lives of the expecting mother and father are turned upside down after the child's fate becomes so uncertain. The father imagines what the life of the child would be like as it grows up, alongside all the challenges that come with parenting as seen through the quote "You’ve snuck into the club underage and stayed!" (28-29). This shows the readers how the father has began to envision the life of his child, and how he has foreseen the expected challenges that come with raising one. This contrasts to the dark tone of the poem in which the child's fate is unknown, as the father no longer knows what to expect.

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Mr. Microphone is a cordless karaoke microphone.  "Ether" is a higher place, maybe somewhere up in the clouds.  In the context of the line "ether" it relates to the woman not being tied down, wanting to leave her body because of the news she is about to receive.   Just like sound can get lost on the microphone,  humans too can become lost in their thoughts and want to travel to other places when faced with horrible news.  Along with this, canaries were often used in mines in the past to detect poisonous gases.  The conditions were very harsh on their systems, many of them often dying.  This relates to the unborn baby's heartbeat being lost.  "Mr. Microphone" is not able to pick up the sound of the lost heartbeat, similarly to how the canaries would get lost in the mines and die.

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In the poem there is a juxtaposition of gentle and strong imagery. This is demonstrated many times in the poem as the speaker uses gentle
words such as "fragile fern," "snowflake" (10-11), or "lost canary" (16). These words are contrasted by descriptions such as "miner of coal" (16), "hip-hop" (24), or "drumming" (31). Overall this juxtaposition is used as the speaker describes their unborn child as being gentle yet loud as their heart beats. This also reveals the power and pride that the speaker feels towards his child.

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I think the overall problem in this poem is regarding an unborn baby whose heartbeat cannot be heard. This is made clear from the quote "while the doctor searches early for your heartbeat, peach pit, unripe" (2-3). The speaker talks about his wife at this time and describes her worry, leading the reader to believe that complications are taking place during her pregnancy. The words "peach pit" and "unripe" emphasize that the 'you' in this poem is very young and undeveloped. The quote "a Mr. Microphone, to broadcast your mother’s lifting belly" (5-6) also point to the fact that there are complications with the child during the wife's pregnancy for the doctor is searching her belly for a heartbeat. In addition, the speaker says "Beneath the slow stutter of her heart: nothing" (8-9). This quote shows that besides the wife's heartbeat, nothing can be heard leading the speaker and his wife to feel grave and worried.

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Within this poem, the "you" refers to an unborn child within a mother's belly. With the repetitive mention of "mother" and "my wife" throughout the poem, readers can assume that the speaker is a soon-to-be father who cultivates a very loving relationship with his unborn child: "You couldn’t sound better, break-dancer, my favorite song bumping, from a passing car" (26 -28). With the mention of "favorite song", we already witness such strong emotion the speaker has for someone he has yet to meet and how he correlates his best memories so effortlessly to his child. Not only does the speaker exhibit a loving relationship but there is an underlying concern and fear clouding him. The speaker worries for his wife as well as the child as he witnesses the doctor trying to find a heartbeat wishing that he could play a role and come to their aid instead: "and me—trying, not to dive starboard, to seek you in the dark water" (19-20). With diction such as dark water, we know that the father would risk anything for the safety of his loved ones.