To Ruthie, Mother's Day 2014 - a Poem

Preface to the poem ... To all those who have nurtured with great love and compassion the lives of others, Happy Mother's Day. Mom's are people of heroic stature. I think that needs to be stated over and over and over again. We tout and honor those who receive military honors for courage in battle. But in my opinion any woman that gives birth and then nurtures the life they have birthed is as courageous and heroic.

When I gave this poem to Ruthie this morning, she blushed and said, "I can see why you didn't give this to me in public." I told her I would not have hesitated if there a lot of people in the room or not. The birth of children is an extremely intimate event, that has a bit of voyeurism about it. Having had the great honor of witnessing the birth of my children, I found the experience as intimate as that experience that Ruthie and I shared in creating those same children. The biggest difference is that when we were creating our children, we didn't have a room crowded with people dressed in surgical gowns, masks, caps, and latex gloves. The voyeurism present at birth is not pornographic, but is necessary,

for very few women ever give birth completely alone. Ruthie, being very preoccupied in giving birth (these were the days without epidermals and any other sedation), didn't have the luxury of stepping back, so to speak, and observing the action as I did.

While our pregnancies were without any great drama, that drama was made up in the delivery room. Andy, our 24 hour labor baby. Luke, the 10 1/2 month pregnancy (yes, we tried to have him induced twice), whereupon Ruthie had her doctor break her water and scrape her cervix (ouch). Meg, the partial placenta previa ... that was a bit of a scary birth. And last but not least, Beth, our 11 lb baby. Is it any wonder that Ruthie was incredibly focused giving birth? It is said that if men were the ones in labor and giving birth, no children would be ever conceived. I think that observation is "dead, balls on accurate," (a quote I remember from the movie, "My Cousin Vinny.")

All this being said ... on to the poem, finally ...

TO RUTHIE, MOTHER'S DAY 2014

The wetting of lips,
glistening in the light,
a sharp intake of breath.
Your skin dressed only in a rosy hue
your body, poised and focused,
and the eyes of all in the room
watch you transfixed,
caught up in wonder
as a moan escapes,
your eyes close, your face beautiful
in determined purpose.
With one great effort
you cry out, and the life
that pours from you
is wrapped in a soft white blanket,
and placed within your loving embrace.
Trauma and drama,
nine month dreams named
Andy, Luke, Meg, and Beth,
swept into this world by a love
greater than Genesis,
and on your face the image of ...

God the Mother..


Happy Mother's Day, Ruthie ...

Love,
Bob