Adjustment
My children have been words. Words were children.
Phrases fat and thin that lined the fragile field.
Verbs, nouns, adverbs caught flirtatiously;
Thoughts just fancied.
Than the slow half-recognition and
An act of love:
“I cannot leave you, cannot snuff you out;
Unformed you lie, remembered kisses
And caresses.” I could not reject,
So consummation and the rarer spark
That gave you form
And me the will to pen
Would fill the field
And grow tumultuously: limbs, organs, eyes and speech
And flowering personality.
Once born, that burden’s mine…
And mine no longer.
Now… the womb within me
Swollen waits to give me not a
Phrase, a poem or philosophy.
It swells with life!
Now uttered thoughts
Will be an animal
Of warmth, pulsating flesh, such
Speech and longings that no one yet
Conceived in words. So faced with this
Reality, my words have gone. I wait
For more substantial life. And yet
Once born, the burden’s mine….
And mine no longer.
i think this line; Phrases fat and thin that lined the fragile field. is beautiful
Life and birth! With the problems to face. Thanks for sharing.
an excellent writting about two deliveries, , with unique images
'...and yet once born, the burden’s mine…. and mine no longer.' And so it goes both in life and in poetry. Thank you for this eloquent poem. Esther
I really clicked with this poem on all its levels. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who sees her words like her children! Thankyou for this, I'll be adding it to my favourites. Hugs Anna xxx
Whether they come from our bodies or our minds, giving birth can sometimes be very painful, but well worth it! ! Nothing can take the place of our children, whatever form they take. Good work. Linda
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Linda, this is beautiful, but beyond that are ideas as deep as the sky. When a woman has that first new life within her, she must know that she will never be the same again. How frightening, and how wonderful! Raynette