Poem 148 – on sharing the same birthday with my son

On sharing the same birthday with my son

possessed by love
riveted by miracles
convulsing in the painful thrusting trust
of my woman’s body to release a child –
this work of delivering lasts beyond the 27 hours
it took to move him from my womb to my chest
parts of me were demolished & rebuilt

now I repeat this destruction to make room for more love
it is all a letting go that ignites hot tears in my eyes
my blurry sight can be frightening – yet there is no other way to love
it is a possession of phenomenal possessions
repetitions of undoing & extraordinary reconstructions I choose

these umbilical cords I tether to my heart
expand strengthen & stretch
we keep hold of each other
we do the birthing work together now

Today, we eat cake.

Celebrate each other. Give thanks. Make candle-blown wishes for dreams as big as a universe.

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY, GOOSE!