Babies… Present

Babies Present

1

 abortion puts you under
scrapes out your womb
in blackness

ashamed, you ask the doctor
whether it was male or female.
‘it was a boy’ he states

you wonder: Is this a punishment
for leaving the convent after 10 years?

2

the second baby grew to term.
shape-shifted to anencephaly
poisoned the amniotic fluid
elevated the blood pressure
required hospitalization and an X-ray.

anesthesia to deliver
lived 3 hours
tiny box for medical research.

3

 the third baby was given amniocentesis
to certify no neural tube disorder

doctor penetrated the thigh from front to back

and turned the fluid pink with blood.
daughter has a compromised thigh.

4

 fourth baby, born 8 lbs, 12 ounces,

presented face-up, and his skull pushed fecal matter out, a battering ram, with each contraction.
That shocked me more than the power of the pushing
I couldn’t control any orifice!

Had to surrender
had to get practiced at giving over to the presentation
the celebration of life

quietly my son’s DNA brought me
Immune system reserves
to protect me
for the rest of my 80 years.

his tiny promise of longevity
for me his Mom
The womb that fed him
the legs that grew long hair while he lived and grew inside

It was the pre-presentation miracle!