#childbirth
In the beginning, there was darkness:
Endless, Certain, the Origin.
before the light, In the Prologue, there was nothing to hide from
— everything is everything is nothing is everything is nothing —
and then It came to be
Everything
exploding out like the supernovas that don’t exist yet to be compared and turning Nothing Everything into Something that can be quantified, measured, experienced
Something came from the darkness
and so there was Light;
The Beginning.
In the beginning, there is darkness:
Finite, Certain, Something.
Light exists but cannot be received
hidden from the Something
but only for a little while.
It must come to be.
at the end of the tunnel is a light, it glares through shut eyes,
it burns,
and there is the first Breath. Welcome to Everything.
Something — You — came from the darkness.
In Your beginning, there was light.
What do you see?
Apr 4
Apr 4, 2026 at 11:40 PM UTC
~
*Maternal midnight
Metallic lakeside
Freon heart, fayence mind
Eyelids of iron ore
Influence feet into the water
Into an embargo bay
Clear and innocuous, innocuously blind
Hills like white elephants on a polar plateau
Mosquitos on her mouth
Drink the blood of encryption
Change the tone of her voice
They pass behind the blue vein
Become infinite particles of her*
~
Feb 20, 2025
Feb 20, 2025 at 9:53 AM UTC
In one of the pictures, the teacher sent
your downcast face mirrored the day
of the school trip
Your mother said it is because
of the cold you came down with
In your little hands
was a fluffy grey rabbit
looking lifeless, perhaps
afraid of the courage you had
to hold another creature
even though you do not
yet understand the world
Your sister, right beside you
with her typical frown
holds an identical rabbit
representing the paradox
of what the two of you are to each other
When three and a half years ago
I watched, with masked emotions
both of you laying in separate
transparent plastic capsules
trying to make sense of the new world
you had been brought into
the lines and numbers on the screen
the only signs that you will make it
And here you are, in another picture
this time the little fish pond reflects
your smile and that of the other kids
peering over the wall into its shallow depth
each of their innocent faces an untold story
of the anguish and joy
of bringing another human being
into the world.
Nov 23, 2022
Nov 23, 2022 at 4:04 PM UTC
she was my jane doe, my everything.
we flew to arizona.
she was my partner, my lover, wondering what i could be thinking about.
her. a different kind of her
"not now," she thinks,
"what about jane doe?"
i understand, and oblige.
the light stirs
we crash down and fall and almost burn
but live
others were not so lucky.
when we fell, i thought about her.
my jane doe.
this place wasn't a place of god, no matter what it said
the things they did to women
children
babies
sickening.
it reminded me of what they did to her,
my jane doe.
her, my partner, my lover
was gone, but i still found her.
we walked and knew we would lose each other again,
no matter how much it hurt us
the light continued to stir
and when it did
i saw her,
my jane doe,
my everything.
it happened so many years ago
we were children
young souls destined to go to heaven
if we were good.
if we weren't, they would lecture us, punish us.
yours was undeserved,
my jane doe.
i tried to be good. i tried to not say a word.
i knew what sin meant,
but i knew even more of your love for me
love.
the prophet said it was love when he slaughtered the women and children.
the heretic said it was love when she played with me like she did all those years ago
they didn't know. they'll never know
but i knew
when i knew you were there,
my jane doe,
my one and only,
my everything.
the child was you, the one who came back for me,
my jane doe.
it was nobody's fault; not yours, not mine, but his?
there is no doubt.
there is nothing.
but you,
my jane doe.
one last stir of light
helpless,
we would be one again.
now i lie here alone
where artificial light stirs
where voices mumble
and when two people say
they have plans for me.
Aug 30, 2022
Aug 30, 2022 at 4:55 PM UTC
I appeared that one random day some years ago when the stars were galloping.
since then each step I take picturesque the clip I've been rolling.
I remember that day when mom told me that to live was to encounter a blessing and struggling was the way we inherit a trophy for generations that lived.
I was deceived by the unrealistic heroism of many martyrs who died before me.
in fact, the spotlights were not meant for me as I expected. fate put me far removed from any truth I’ve worshiped.
some days I move in urge and fly very high. I heal my wounds and forgive people who randomly get me to taunt.
some days I scream without words and get drowned in my own nightmares. I drop death thinking of any chance to collect my own mythical strikes.
after all, I still reopen my eyes to a bizarre sight; I wonder if it is the answer to all the prayers I've murmured in my solemn nights
or perhaps it is just the doom I've been daydreaming about all the time.
of the truths spoken and the marks of my barefoot steps, I pledge for an eternal gaiety. And a place of my own kind.
Aug 14, 2022
Aug 14, 2022 at 9:21 AM UTC
We’re waiting for you, little pearl,
not that we need you to rush
take your time as the arms to catch you
will cwtch forever
Your mama has laid layer and layer
of love on you,
egg-shell cautious love
So be rambunctious on arrival
and we’ll mostly forgive sleepless nights
Just come little pearl
come in little girl
our world awaits x
Dec 22, 2021
Dec 22, 2021 at 4:01 AM UTC
yesterday my thoughts lost in the pines
i heard a rustling of leaves crooned
the sunlight sheepishly trespassed between the thick branches
and I stepped forward, and I slipped
then I stood up seeing the hollow
it was left ajar
although undeterred, I was afraid
of uncertainties thrilling my veins
suddenly my body flitted like water roaming in a drainway
my mouth spoke an unknown language
of pain
and ache
unfamiliar faces cherished my appearance
it was vague, not that dim
and they said I was born.
May 17, 2021
May 17, 2021 at 3:46 AM UTC
I brought her to the hospital
And I know she is in pain
She says she’ll die today
But I know she’d sustain.
As painful it may be
As fearsome it may seem
My legs are shaking deep inside
I can hear her Scream.
You’d say I can’t feel the pain
She says its life threatening
I believe she’ll do it well
This moment of awakening.
The Doctor consoles her gently
The nurses prepare the room
My heart beats fast, yet sinks a bit
My baby is about to bloom.
I watch the process in silence
My heart is aching slow
The Doctor asks her to push
Our Child will make Her Glow.
Its a Girl and She’s beautiful
I heard the Doctor say
Everyone knows I cried
Saying Happy Mothers’ Day!!
Prashant Shaurya ©
All Rights Reserved
06/05/2021
P.S: I wrote this in the labor room while watching my wife give birth to our Daughter. It took me about 5 to 7 minutes to write till the second last stanza. I wrote the last stanza after seeing my newborn baby. My Daughter is my Universe!!
May 7, 2021
May 7, 2021 at 1:22 AM UTC
Your coming
A painful event
Leaving memory scars
Telling your time of existence
Markings on your back
Piercings way through your ears
Cries so loud
Calling to the other side
Looking to imaginery friends
Talking to thyself
Singing songs of thy departure
Elders paying tribute
Bowing to thy exit
Waiting for thy arrival
To depart again
Oct 8, 2020
Oct 8, 2020 at 8:40 AM UTC
*
*Come cries of new life
Signals the war of birthing
Hands held at your side*
*
Jul 29, 2020
Jul 29, 2020 at 4:59 AM UTC
A stranger enters
a friend becomes
a desire is
love now forms
the way is enshrined
a universal solution
promises are insecure
a finger points the way
head bowed
hand in hand
given away
family peace a made
bound is this love
silk forms around our wrists
silk worms form a guard of honour
we reach the fluttering confectus
our free arms raised on high
wings sprout from our fingers
climbing the colours of time
looking down at distant families
the last light settles the accord
embrace the cocoon
safe from prying concerns
warm from winter chills
strands of DNA intertwined
showered in blessed waters
unravelling in harmony
spinning in union
woven of love carnal
stolen of heart
a new beat befalls
sever the laconic link
our true love emerges
adored in humility
fed with energy of life
wrapped in boundless passion
guided in the Chapel of love
Jul 1, 2020
Jul 1, 2020 at 1:30 PM UTC
On the day before Adamma's birth
Mama came visiting
She said she had a rough night
And she couldn't stop thinking about me
On the day before Adamma's birth
Mama made me peppersoup
The whole house had the heavy aroma
Of Uziza and Uda spices
On the day before Adamma's birth
My husband kissed me tenderly
And laughed when I said I wanted frozen peppersoup
On the day before Adamma's birth
The sky was beautiful
It showered light waters on the earth
I watched the beautiful scene
And absorbed it's familiar misty scent
From my special window
Mama chuckles each time she hears me call the window special
But my dark, handsome husband doesn't;
He understands every bit
We stood face to face by that window,
With extremely beautiful emotions overwhelming us
We spoke silently, our eyes passing numerous messages across
We were pregnant
And so,
On the day before Adamma's birth
We stood by that same window,
Kissing tenderly,
Reminding ourselves that our baby was on the way
On the day Adamma's was born
Light beamed on our family
Adamma's smile was light itself
And it beamed through every corner of our lives
And then I realized,
I had two babies
My baby, and My baby
May 2, 2020
May 2, 2020 at 6:19 PM UTC
I dreamt it snowed
Nectar and powdered sugar,
Dusting nature's lips.
I recall the kiss from her
Not-so-innocent curiosity,
Come-hither in her arched brow.
How the morning breeze
Grew wanton,
Lifting her nightdress,
Until naked she pirouetted about
The cloister garth.
I dreamt of flowering moonlight
And his potent stem,
Filling her
With stars and shivers,
As she burst, for goodness sake,
From all the little blissful parties
Drumming her garden wall.
I dreamt of fecundity
And funnel cakes,
Soft and sweet and round,
Her milk a spring,
Laden with gift of life.
Intuitive opaque areolae,
The shape of things to come,
The very ones from which
She'll nurse their young.
Nov 11, 2019
Nov 11, 2019 at 6:52 PM UTC
I don't want babies.
These are Victorian days
I reckon I'd die.
Jan 7, 2020
Jan 7, 2020 at 5:19 PM UTC
You won't remember all the fuss you
cause, my precious microcosm
This strange bewildering exhausting
global economy you dwell in
Apparently the lease expired and your time has come
Driven by grievance more than strategy
It sets the stage for fireworks and confusion
In one dizzying morning into afternoon
I'm searching for who to blame
Histories on the episode may well spend a chapter on
your mother's unhinged notions née crazy talk
It becomes clear in real time how the risks
of an escalating trade war
give a centimeter, take a centimeter
And the fraying of longstanding ties
Could quickly outpace the ability to evict you
As your mother, the normal first responder
to your distress, I can do
Absolutely nothing about it but push
In what seems a shoot-first approach to such
a delicate moment
The escalation, the unpredictability, the erratic
nature of developments
Is central to what is going on
Something is breaking
That something is me!
Our world is on edge
Looking for a sign of what to do next
The labor market drops and you're crowned
a royal pain
Peace is found, it's proportional
And by all measures you're quite hale
quite beautiful!
This offsets the damage of a messy exit
The disconnect I incessantly prayed for offers
melancholy over relief
In our opening act you're already moving
away from me
While the female body is a powerful tool
It cannot provide a settled rule book for
such internal battle
Still, this adventure, scary and catastrophic as
it was, is well-suited to the wonders that I am
For that I'm grateful to my Creator
The lesson of the last several hours is that forces are unfolding
that we can't do much to contain
We're merely nesting passengers en route to
a foreign destination
Oct 18, 2019
Oct 18, 2019 at 6:00 PM UTC
It came from cloudless blue
No herald of its fall
Was served as heaven’s brew
To quench the thirst of all
To give to morn its dew
And cause to tiller’s prance
To wet dry ground anew
With peace, joy, song, and dance
A peace of spotless white
Urged warring halves to join
As weary eyes did sight
The gleam of nature’s coin
A joy of love’s consent
Burned bright from empty core
As ailing nose did scent
The rise of petrichor
A song to woe's distaste
From voice of grateful praise
As thirsting tongue did taste
The ale of favour's daze
A dance of festive tier
On soles of arid sores
As shutting ears did hear
The tune of Angels' scores
A comfort so surreal
Set last of five to race
As numbing nerves did feel
The warmth of wet embrace
It came from cloudless blue
As touch of God’s good hand
To bid fierce drought adieu
With child for barren land
Who looks not to years past
But thanks the Lord laid bare
Having found at long last
The one for whom to care
Dec 31, 2018
Dec 31, 2018 at 9:15 PM UTC
There was once a drought that thundered through the land
It stormed from north to south sparing neither head nor hand
It came on the heels of may, to rob fields of their right
Giving hunger to day then taking respite from night
Sun came and moon thereafter, time and time again
Yet the skies yielded no answer to the outcry of men
‘Cause fortune did reject the farmer’s desperate plea
For sin of thankless neglect towards soil of sower’s glee
Clouds massed in mocking grey, winds whispered hopeful lies
Telling of a better day when we would hear the heavens’ cries
Such was the willful drought that ended harvest’s reign
Starving land of fruitful sprout till Mercy brought the rain
I should say no more of the gloom through days of old
But with words long withheld, tell of that which should be told.
Dec 28, 2018
Dec 28, 2018 at 5:51 PM UTC
In the wake of Dawn
She cries and moans
In her womb was a little one
Alas she’s delivered of a son
“Welcome My Boy to the World”
He finds comfort in her warmth and
Finally decides she should be Mom
He looks around with dreamy eyes
Straight into her tear filled eyes
He cant understand what was wrong
But ‘tis her way of showing Joy
“Get Ready for Life Boy…Get ready”
In comes a man who embraces Mom
Carries him up and says praise to God
The way he smiled says he was Dad
He felt so strong to be in these arms
And slept hearing these words twice
“Welcome To Life, Welcome To Life”
Mar 7, 2018
Mar 7, 2018 at 5:28 PM UTC
He wore my blood as a
cloak
the red
and the blue
a purple tattoo
a talisman
for the task:
a trip
down the lane
to the land
of the living
He ripped through the floors
and the boards
of my body,
victorious
against angels that kissed
him
and tore down the door
of my being
no knock no bell
just knives,
needles and
tongs
With him fled
Dignity and Vanity
and instead came
a love that bled to the beat
of his heart
and the pull
of his lungs.
I puked green bile, ******
on a promise
of gas and air
chewed honey pills
but still
he refused to swim out,
my little newt.
Stars bowed to
the bulging moon,
and mortality shuffled
a little closer
but finally he showed,
to a chorus of women who shouted
and cut,
twisted and sewed.
He popped like a camel
through the eye
of the holder,
a watermelon
bursting
through the space
of a face
flooding me with
a chemical trick
a liqueur so sweet
I cried and smiled
to the soles of my feet.
They tore at his lifeline
‘til it snapped like bone,
and with the weight of him gone
I was delirious
drunk
done.
Sep 1, 2017
Sep 1, 2017 at 5:39 AM UTC
Don't tell me I won't understand life
until I have birthed life.
I understand life
and the compassion and passion that comes with it.
I know it through my love and care for my baby bunnies.
Through protecting them, feeding them, nursing them
and then parting with them.
You do not need to be a mother to adore and respect life,
you need only be human....
my ability to breed has nothing to do with my ability to love
Dec 5, 2016
Dec 5, 2016 at 4:25 PM UTC
Every minute
One thousand empty mouths
Are born into poverty.
Nov 26, 2016
Nov 26, 2016 at 10:45 AM UTC
Staring into their eyes,
Longing for the other
Sharing their aches, but never saying why.
He whispers, "You are the only one."
And he means true,
She replies, "I love you."
And she is truthful.
When the dawn comes, she is on a bed,
Breathing labored, and in pain.
He holds her hand, in such agony
At not being able to help more.
The fevor spreads,
And life is anew,
While she faded.
He holds the new life, and cries terrible tears.
"You are the only one left..."
He whispers to the child.
But he sees something,
The love that she showed him,
And that child, is the only one important to him
Sep 30, 2015
Sep 30, 2015 at 11:41 PM UTC