She knows what it’s like
to have babies;
The pain of giving birth
is just the beginning.
The real pain comes from having
to listen to their cries of hunger
all the while knowing there is no food to give them.
There is a special kind of pain in
hearing her babies cough at night, harder
than she thinks their little chests can stand,
as they burn with fever and
beg for help with eyes that say
“I trust you to make everything better.”
She holds them. And comforts,
while guarding against their finding out
how very poor they are /
how helpless and desperate she feels.
She knows the pain of these things and more, because
at eighteen, She has birthed her fourth child without
ever having even looked at her own body /
without any idea as to how it works..
She suckles her fourth babe at her breast as
she wonders about life, and dreams of a time to come when
there will be enough food, enough warmth for them all.
She dreams of learning to read and write...
And dreams of a time when she will be able to
learn the words which will enable her
to share with others the innermost thoughts of her heart,
and the wisdom she’s learned along the way.
