Dec 24
The Weight of the Ordinary
surely the child wasn’t born
in a whisper
in silence
golden light all around
she must have groaned
as she pushed
sweat and tears
falling onto the bed of hay
it would have been dark
unblemished shadows
just a lantern with a candle
dim light for a dim time
he would have held her hands
sat behind her
his shins a platform of love
a wall to gather strength from
faith must have been there
in the groaning
in the sweat
in the blood
it always is
faith that the child will arrive
crying out after that
first spontaneous in-breath
this night is balanced
on the razor’s sharp edge
one side an ordinary birth
the other a miracle
Pamela Olson, 12/24/08
“faith, whisper, miracle”
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Last para moved me!!
Oh, I love this so much. I have chills. Absolutely astounding.
Awesomely poetic!
And, yes, that last paragraph is so good!
that razor, that edge – speaks volumes!
Yes, you bring it home very well. I especially like “this night is balanced” which hangs there on its own, then is sliced unexpectedly by the continuation on the next line. Personally, even though it would drop the word “faith,” I might like the poem even more if you just had the first three stanzas with the final one.
So much wrapped up in a handful of words. Very nice.
Beautiful. A new life is a miracle. Each time.
symmetry in poetry or what?
I love the way you’ve meshed humanness and spirituality to paint a lasting picture to be treasured.
This was great. Wonderful take on that night.
Hi Pam,
The last stanza is beautiful, really beautiful. I wanted to stop by and thank you for the kind comment on ouroboros. And for the link.
Happy holidays,
jo
I have to add to what many have already said, your last stanza is perfect, bringing it all together. Wonderful piece.