Every mother knows when she looks down
at her baby for the very first time
She knows her heart is never going to be the same
Her body like a flattened red balloon she tried to resurrect
it will never carry air again
A mother knows as she looks down at her bloated belly
she feels the outer ring of the storm as it bumps along the coast
trees will bend and tilt
Mothers know the fragility and the enormity all at once
First a ping, then a gong; this new person
and she cries out loud for grace!
How come no one told her about the inside out and the upside down?
Face!
Her heart is now like a baggy sweatshirt
she’s wearing it the wrong way
You can read the tag, she cannot –
she’s too close to the words
Beautiful child, a fresh petal, a pliable stalk, a soft shell
you’ll carry her hopes and dreams
She’s your mother
She’s already crawled to the edge of the fountain and scooped up water
with her cupped palms
She’s cried, screamed, and howled for you
Now she beats at her chest to let the world know
her protection will move mountains
Every mother knows about the speckled madness right outside her window –
a twinkling city of nameless souls
Where will she fit in?
Where will she start
The nurse comes in, it’s time for a prick
And so, the games begin
she must duck, pivot, and invent
This is how she will grow this person
Mountains?
What mountains?
She’ll roll them up, double the crease
tuck her head as she descends