Pain Of Birth
In still darkness; the quiet hidden place,
far from revealing light or probing gaze,
the song begins again.
“As it was in the beginning, Is now and ever shall be…”
Yet each is new and all is fresh,
a taste of timeless wonder.
In darkness still no more, ocean tides flow,
gently lapping on their shore,
rocking the child.
Warmth and ocean are cradle as life begins
to grow and stretch and soon to reach,
anticipating birth.
A silence grows while ocean tides fall still;
the reaching no longer disturbs a sleep,
becomes uneasy peace.
Lulled by warmth, by beat of mother’s heart,
life slips gently, softly, into death,
not knowing pain of birth.
We who begin in silence, live in sound,
fearing the final silence and the stillness
brought by death.
The tides of time will cradle us ’til death,
gently rocking, warming us who never knew
life-giving pain of birth.
By Annie Hammond
This quietly profound poem reflects on a life that ends before birth, evoking the mystery of beginnings that never reach the light. Annie Hammond’s imagery of tides, warmth, and silence invites contemplation on the unseen lives touched by loss, and the pain that is never felt, but deeply known.
