Below is some poetry written by Laurel Jessup, a midwifery student who we were lucky enough to work with for a few months this year.
“Poetry inspired by my time at TBC and the amazing women I had the honor of working with. Thank you for all that you have taught me.” - Laurel Jessup
Cartographer….
discovery of how you found your way
as you enter the sisterhood of mothers
you should be proud
how you carried your body
wore your skin
surrendered your self
joy emanating from every part of you
the water moved around you
as it moved through you
now mixing with sweet salt
running past deep brown eyes
streaming down flushed cheeks
your hands explore
the new geography of this body
curve of shoulder length of spine
rise of chest falling gracefully
discovering untamed places
new wonders beneath your fingertips
what was once two in one
moved tectonically
new forms new shape
you will find your way
you are the way
you are the world
…. no matter how much you map, the exploring will never cease….
FIREFLY
First of June calls to you
You, who will light up the night
Come out, dance, play
Dusk is falling gently
Thunder rumbles in the distance
Scent of soft rain on the wind
Making your way slowly
Twilight, tenderly calling your name
Watchful waiting
To be known, revealed on this day
Illumination spilling into the world
To big for mothers mason jars
Abundance of childhood memories
Legacy of laughter and joy
Your radiance announcing delivery of night
Welcome little firefly, welcome
Little Bud
lightning flashed
the count until thunder clapped
how far off was the storm
plants thirsty for rain
ears eager to hear
your first cry
closing the distance
thunder coming closer
contractions coming faster
as the sky released
your mother opened
earth and body moved by rain
little violet
how you blossomed
in this summer storm
From Russia with Love:
Solitary and silent
Upon a starch white sheet
Stainless steel frame
Her hands grasped
As the pitocin flooded in
Nurses bustled past
Eyes downcast
Away from faces
Thoughts lost in lanolium
Women moaned
Women called out
Cries united them
Kept spirits teathered
To numb bodies bound down
In the barren ward
As their burdened bodies
Were harvested
This is how a child was born
~
No longer constrained to a continent
Away from your love
Son and husband now adoringly
By your bedside
Yet the animal within
Wants to be alone
Wants the safety of shadows
To stretch and groan
Melt into the matrix of water
Your face softens to touch
Milky ivory skin
Flushed at cheeks bust belly
Your hands grasp mine this time
As we ground you
Welcoming you back into your body
Candlelight licks at the walls
You rock your hips in innate rhythm
As body and baby burrow down
~
Safe in your watery nest
You know its time
Your lover appears
Never having seen you this soft
This strong and knowing
He weeps and the tears roll silently
Down his cheeks as he strokes your hair
The nurse enters
All eyes are on you
As the birds begin to sing
Your cries greet them
As the morning dawn beckons flowers
To release tight buds
Drawn up from the safety of night
Following inherent wisdom
And gentle voices gentle hands
You release and open
This is how a child is born
Summer Solstice: Sons Shoulder
june 20 23:09 2012
astronomical events
solar standing
breath holding
the sun at its highest excursion
longest day of the year
i reach for your shoulder
you are not there
deviation from celestial equator
midpoint of summer
center of integration
amalgamation of strength and beauty
son and soul enters
stand still in declination
i reach for your shoulder
you are not there
fusion of awe and fear
seasons turning
mind racing
hands moving in relative velocity
informational rotation
is not perpendicular to this orbital plane
i reach for your shoulder
you are not there
maximum inclination astral zenith
procession of equinoxes
deviation of entry
into the tropic of cancer
winter at maximum remoteness
polar night at antarctic circle
i reach for your shoulder
you are not there
helical divergence from set space
heavenly bodies seemingly idle
atmospheric refraction
difference hardly detectable with indirect viewing
longest moments of my life
change in rotation
4 minute decent into winter
you have arrived
is this written in the constellations……
Drought
As the rains came
The babies nestled in
Deep within their mothers wombs
Not ready to trade one
Water world for the next
I lay awake at night
Not ready to give up
Wakefulness for sleep
Listening to the crickets
And the rain
So many babies in my future
But this night they
Do not call my name
This night the phone
Does not ring
And I find myself opening my eyes
Peering into tomorrow
Maybe today will be the day
A birth day
But the drought seemingly continues
Despite the ground beneath
My feet so satisfied
My hands and heart
Thirsty for more babes
This last poem I wrote after I arrived at TBC and was reminded why I wanted to be a midwife….thank you all for so much that you shared, taught, and reminded me of….
With Woman
I thought I might have lost you
the connection between
severed cold empty
I could no longer feel you move in me
the time slipped
quiet heavy dark
I did not see you nor me looking back
in the reflection from the mirror
hallow distant unfamiliar
Were you really gone I asked myself
the answer veiled
deep still silent
My tears raged
a summer storm
thick hot wet
No proof that you were truly gone
no stain upon my sheet
blatant honest concrete
I told myself it was for the best
you deserved more
sacred unknown strength
Alone in my bed
hand on my belly
desire adrift wonder
………………….
Subtle movement from within
flurry of birds wings
rebellious powerful balanced
Your still here…
safe deep within
humble ingrained eternal
Body, joy flooded desert wash
time of riparian
fierce astounding lush
Was it the smell of cinnamon
that called you home
warm caring compassion
Was it the long for touch
pulsing through my veins
craving gentle kindness
I will continue to carry you
to give you life
nurture tend admire
I thought I might have lost you
but now I know
interminable centered grounded
