Labor Journey
My granddaughter yells in pain
as she grips the couch in hopes
it will relieve her agony
She cries out for her mom who
keeps track of the contractions
Her two young sisters try to ease
her distress with loving touches
One is behind and kneads
her neck and back, while
the other kneels below
to rub her feet and legs
I watch the scene before me and ponder
if my grandmother had older Italian
ladies surround her when she was in labor
I wonder if they massaged contracting
muscles in her lower spine or gave
her sips of water to hydrate
her before the urge came to push
and she gave birth to my mother
on the kitchen table
Zoe cries out again, shouting
“I need him to come out now!”
Not sure how things will progress
I quickly clean and sanitize
my dining room table, just in case
After the last hour of Zoe dealing
with strong childbirth pains
my daughter decides it is time
She takes her to the hospital
and leave us to wait for news
It is not until the next day
the baby begins the last stretch
of his journey down the birth
canal when Zoe’s uterus pushes
a fifth generation out of his cocoon
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