Poem: Song for the Mis(t)born
Today is Mother’s Day. It is a joyous, happy day for many. And for those to whom it is a day of celebration, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.
Too often, I feel, we overlook or fail to show proper sensitivity to those who desire, but do not have living children in their lives. Those who have never had children, or have had pregnancies that have not come to fruition, or have lost their children, or fostered children who have been returned to their families, or currently have poor relationships with your teenage or adult children, or any other number of situations or circumstances we do not acknowledge on this day.
If you have watched any news or been on social media at all, you have also witnessed and shared some of the pain of mothers (and fathers) who continue to lose their children to violence.
To the women (and men) who stand in this space of “mothering” and shepherding, I offer you my heart, empathy, and a bit of my work. There are a thousand strings to pull from the complex topic of parenting. I offer only one, with more to come.
There are no cards, that I know of to honor and acknowledge the heartbreak or awkwardness this day can represent. But I have tried to put some of those feelings into a poem. Below is the first half of the piece.
Perhaps some of what I have written will apply to your situation. Or, more importantly, I hope it will encourage you to write a poem, a note, or a journal entry to this child, and to yourself.
At the very least, I hope it will let you know that there are many who stand beside you, think of you warmly on this day, and have a listening ear and a willing shoulder you can share…
Today will be the first time I share this piece in its entirety.
Join us over on Cultivating Voices Live, with Sandy Yannone as host, at 3:00 pm EST.
Song for the Mis(t)born
The iron after-scent of birth
Rising from my place of lying-in
I yield to the temptation
of gazing into your shining face
one more time
Moving blindly through the maze
To the room
where they seek
to temper your incandescent light
I wait impatiently as they unwrap
the swaddling you now wear
and not the cheerful onesie
I have in my bag
Here you are
The product of my now empty womb
Prematurely ready for my benediction
So many dreams and visions
I ‘ve held for you
For us
Crawling along the floor
Learning to walk
Standing in swings
Winning almost every contest
as I proudly stand by
But here you are
Chilly to my touch
All but bereft of the warmth we once shared
Almost beyond the reach of my love
What shall I wish for you now,
my love?
To be continued…
©Copyright 2020 Martina Green McGowan, MD
It is a good day for many, and it is a hard day for many.
Be sensitive and supportive.
Reach out if you need a shoulder…
UPDATE:
Post-event recording link, in case you missed the show.
Thank you for your support.
Martina
Photo by Sasha O’Shaughnessy on Scopio
Chat later in the week…
