AIMS Journal, 2021, Vol 33, No 3
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By Danielle Gilmour
I’ve just had a baby.
Will you not remove your shoes?
Wash your feet?
This is holy ground.
Watch you doff your cap as you approach my throne,
Bow your head,
Lay palms where I tread.
Please speak in more reverent tones.
I am Lucy – honour the mother of mankind.
Here, I’ll show you what to do –
Kiss your fingers and touch your navel,
Light a thousand candles, cast me a circle,
Bring me offerings, keep my vigil.
Do you think I willed this baby into being?
The least you could do is pour a libation
For the blood I’ve spilt and that flows from me still.
Trace my sacred scars and name them a constellation.
I am Elastigirl – my heart and parts have stretched
Beyond recognition,
Even to myself.
I am Eos – where is my golden chariot as I bring you this pink new dawn?
And just moments before, I was Athena, roaring as I rode to war.
Where is my chapel among those raised
For each temple built in a body – cradled in pelvis or hidden by ribcage,
To hold our babies however long they stayed?
I am the Earth,
I am the Sun,
I am Wonder Woman.
I am my mother and yours who allowed us to breathe.
I’ve just had a baby.
Walk backwards as you leave.
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Author bio: Danielle, from South Gloucestershire, is a mother of three children, one dog and four chickens. She is a Peer Supporter for The Breastfeeding Network, a Volunteer for AIMS, and a poet and member of the Mum Poem Press. You can find more of her work on Instagram @mummy_juice_writes. |
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The AIMS Journal spearheads discussions about change and development in the maternity services..
AIMS Journal articles on the website go back to 1960, offering an important historical record of maternity issues over the past 60 years. Please check the date of the article because the situation that it discusses may have changed since it was published. We are also very aware that the language used in many articles may not be the language that AIMS would use today.
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