First published in Midwifery Today, Summer Issue 2005
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Preface to I AM MOTHER - The Unfolding Lap
How could this maiden know that an answered call from my baby-to-be would generate changes so vast that puberty’s transformation would make sense? Thirty six years ago I accepted the invitation from the Unknown into the world of mothering,. Now at the crisis of my mortality, I ponder -- what does being a mother mean to me? At the tail end of a beastly winter, this is what came to me -- The Unfolding Lap. The Unfolding Lap
I AM MOTHER whose entitlement unlocks the doorless room The home of a mystery that flays the soul’s skin Carving ego and rendering the oily mind into light. I AM MOTHER who grows dreams in my belly From my blood drinks the Tree of Life Rooted in heaven until the birth quake Splits me open in revelation and relief And I awake from the nightmare of separation. I AM MOTHER carrier of the secret told since the beginning Hearth of the future, unfolding lap, volcanic breast A daughter of uncertainty, the crone’s executrix The ultimate harvester of hope. I AM MOTHER so hear me! Listen with labyrinthine ears To the purpose of sound, sense the movement of your cells, And the pulsing message from your bones that resonate with this; Serve the Breath-Maker and be the BirthKeeper the Earth needs now. Your mother will be so proud. © Jeannine Parvati Baker |