Photo by Hartwig HKD
My stomach swells
from beneath the swirl of bathwater
I sink until every inch of me
is pressed to the white enamel
internalising
hearing the drum of my heartbeat
eyelids closed, imagining
multiplying cells and spirit
the newly forming life inside
the walls of my red womb
I already love you more
than myself, this final gift
though I have not yet seen
the monochrome hospital scans
nor heard the galloping race of your heart
or worshipped the curl of your lashes
or buried my nose in the scent of your scalp
This precious time when your world
is my womb, and
you are mine alone
How selfish this need to create life
when the earth struggles
under the weight of our choices
Still, I am not sorry
for this spark of promise
amidst the tyrants and crumbled ruins
of our enlightened world
the tanks and missiles
the angry and the broken
oozing tears and thickened blood
You will grow to be strong and brave
wise and true, and weather storms
you fear will tear you to ribbons
You will be a beacon and shine
on the blackest night
I will cherish you, as is my want
because you will always be
the best part of me
tiny you, growing you
built to outlast and outshine me