12/24/2024
For the Midwives on the Winter Solstice
Through the long night,
We watch, we wait, we listen
To the quiet gallop of a tiny beating heart.
With hands warmed on a hot mug of tea,
Hushed voices, amid a single flickering candle,
We hold vigil like a solitary intercessor
In front of a bare altar, and bear witness
Through the dark watches of the night
While another seeks for strength
Deep within herself, digging deep
Through the tap root of a great tree
Where the sap still runs
To the tiny root hairs
pulling nutrients from the soil.
Many years ago another young mother
Pauses for the night, body aching
From her grueling journey to Bethlehem.
In those still, quiet hours
With only the stars to bear witness
Perhaps she feels the first warning surges
And gathers strength from the darkness
For the work she will have to do,
Resting her hand on her belly
As the baby moves within her.
Now as the first rays of light
Filter through the window
We gather as the vigil draws to its close.
With a great push and the last expense
Of gathered strength,
A new babe arrives, opens her eyes
And takes her first breath.
12/21/24
