First it was cramps Grinding, debilitating cramps Tying my abdomen in An impossible sailor’s knot And out came the heating pad— A thick, orange water bottle— And the plug-in blanket, The rice sack that smelled like Lavender in the microwave Double socks Double blankets Pain, searing hot showers 48 hours of misery. After I had ...

I tip-toe among the little crittersThat wriggle and flitter  Along our shared grassy track  They like to stop and have a chat  And proudly pose for a photo  When I am on my tummy down low  Today I met a beetle called Bertha A lady who was frank and earthy And like my grandma, her family came first  She protected her offspring through ...

  I’d love to stay up there with youBut there is something I must doIt won’t matter how much you pull nowI will always break free somehow Can’t you see your grip is only making me feel numb?Let me show you how strong I have becomeI can live without the protection of your lovely silkIt ...

Motherhood is one crazy roller coaster of emotional ups and downs. While a handbook would be nice and often feels required, one does not exist.

Motherhood is all about stretching. Your body, your heart, your patience, your understanding, your compassion, your boundaries, and your capabilities—all stretch to accommodate the addition of fresh life you are meant to raise. The augmentation to every facet of your being sometimes feels like stretching cold muscles; it hurts. Shame and guilt lurk in corners ...

In one year it’s a shadow, following. Taking the shape of a person. Just not the person she lost.

At the bottom of the sea two rocks clasp her ankle like a bear trap with no teeth. She went down there, under the water when her first child crept out of her own. Submerged for years. Overhead, the sunlight trickles. Figures bob. Bubbles from her lungs float to meet the surface. She sees through ...

Hold the baby who burbles words you don’t know yet, words that aren’t but are puffs of air burst from fat cheeks,

My heart weeps silently          for the child                    I once carried My mind paralyzed          with fear of a reoccurrence                    but my body longs                             to be the vessel That carries your          fragile, tiny frame                    supporting you in                             my cracked container You fluttered and          my heart melted                    connecting ...

What inside of me won’t give up?How do I survive each day?What makes me feel this way inside?What else is there to say?No one listens, even through the shoutsin spite of my best effortsMy empathy and humbleness puts me out.I still wake up with hope and love in my hearteven though I knowthat by days ...