“Skin to Skin” by Terrill Welch at http://www.redbubble.com
Tonight as we marvel at the summer solstice super-moon, our family will be celebrating our daughter’s birthday. In remembrance of this lovely event, I’m posting some poems I wrote long ago about her birth.
The first was written as I rocked my small son while pregnant with her. The second was written after her birth.
I loved being big “with child” and these simple poems tried to capture that, and express the rapturous sense of identification I felt with nature–“Mother Earth.”
Song of Me and Mine
He comes to me in such sweet
sadness, sleepy eyes turned up,
asking, not knowing, his needs.
I lift him to my lap–he liquefies
and flows between my arm and breast,
melts into my soul.
I lean and rock and hum
to my own nectar—the weight of him
the rhythm of our song:
I’m big, full of child
and children. I gather
And caress my own
I feel of earth—Smell the rain
within me! Hear the suck—
the watering of root that pulls my breast?
Mounds below in fertile layers
Stirs a creature—I prophesy,
See small hands turn toward the sun.
Come to me! I’m big and bear
With pleasure. I’ll pause your pain
And feed your life with laughter
Come to me! Lay your body
near and nestle. You are the plant and fruit
The life begun. I am the earth,
I hug your roots, you touch the stars.
After Childbirth
It’s spring.
My long white wait of winter now is ended:
Protective mounds that bound and blessed are melting,
The windy howls and icy pain are past.
The seed has sprung with petal cheek beside me,
With awkward hands that clutch at satin mountains.
Her mouth takes hold the knotted root and sucks.
It’s spring.
I see the fertile hills outside my window,
The cow and calf that feed upon their greenness.
And we are one, maternal earth and I.
We bear with bated breath the weight of winter,
Then grow and swell to feed our springtime children,
And make ourselves the instruments of Love.
You might enjoy these blog posts as well: a tribute to “My Daughter on Her Wedding Day” posted earlier this year, and “Birthing and Rebirthing,” a meditation on the birth of my granddaughter last fall.
Sea, Sky, Earth, Fire – My Daughter on Her Wedding Day
Many thanks to artist Terrill Welch, and fellow blogger, for use of her lovely photograph. More of her beautiful paintings and photographs can be found at her Creative Potager Blog and art website. Prints of her lovely photograph and other works can be purchased here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
Deborah I knew from the first time I read your blog that we had a similar connection to the sea but is only in reading your poems that I see our connection goes even farther – to that of motherhood, birth, children and grandchildren and our earthly connections as human-beings. Thank you for sharing my photograph with you incredible poems. It is my pleasure to be connected to your work is this way. All the best of today to you!
I’ve felt that connection too whenever viewing your paintings and photographs. So happy to share that in this post.
I came by way of Terrill Welch – beautiful post. Simply beautiful.
Thank you! So glad you stopped by.
I came via Terrill also, and so powerful to see this compilation of word and image as I see my daughter big and pausing with child and an adorable little grandson who woke up this morning to say, “Mommy I like my nose.”
How sweet! A tribe of mama’s here. So much in common. I’m so glad you came by to visit.
Its a moment we never forget. How great to capture it in a poembringing all the emotions too. Nice work!
Thank you! So glad you liked it.
Deborah, these are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you, Luanne!
Your words stood me still, Deborah. The images your words paint are more powerful than the pictures. This line:
We bear with bated breath the weight of winter
clings to the back of my eyes. We do indeed.
Thank you for that–it made my day!
I lean and rock and hum
to my own nectar—the weight of him
the rhythm of our song:
your poetry is sublime, your essence of motherhood in words, all of them so beautiful. thank you so much for sharing these, it took me back to when waiting for my daughter, my wife then, ‘full of child’ , the feelings of hope and miracles and now she’s 13.
and i didn’t want another day to go by before thanking you for liking so many of my poems, your encouragement means a lot to me.
Beautiful! These poems capture so much.
beautiful poems