Mother and Child
(for Odia Ofeimun)
I
a foetus nestles in its watery hammock
tiny thumb plugged
into dreaming mouth
sleep-suckled
gently
a curious midwife
hand
plumbs
the throbbing womb
for warmth
mother moans and heaves
expels
the sleepy newborn
who spurned
brokes the water
that dams life
slip-drip-drops
through birth canal
into blood-wet waiting arms
full of succour
II
the newly exiled
exhales sharply
draws first breath
kicks at the dry iodine air
and bursts into mournful song
a poet is born.
hands secure the cry-baby
untie the umbilical bond
between mother and child
the womb that holds life
nurtures dreams
of a reunion
and the severed cord that binds
runs invisible
between natal mound
and the humped grave
‘Slip-drip-drops’ a very fine weave of imagery
A sacred bond between mother and child, the birth of great destiny.
‘and the humped grave?
the humped grave… well the big belly in pregnancy resembles the hump of a grave… and the grave is the final destination of the child, of every child
Skillful word-weaving and metaphor. Chilling but true ending.
Actually, the phrasing I related most emotionally with was
‘the womb that holds life
nurtures dreams
of a reunion
and the severed cord that binds
runs invisible
between natal mound
and the humped grave’ .
Evokes the feeling of physical abandonment with childbirth and the surreal connectedness that truly is lifelong. Thanks, Dr.Ede, beautifully crafted.
Dear Crystal,
Thank you for being a super reader!
Ama
“The womb that holds life.
nurtures dreams
of a reunion”
Very deep👍