Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, CAESARIAN, by CAMILLE DU BARRY


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

CAESARIAN, by                    
First Line: Woman, you are big with child
Last Line: Alas, little mother, you are dead!
Subject(s): Babies; Milk; Mothers; Infants; Milkmen; Milkmaids


Woman, you are big with child.
Life pulses and stirs in the cloister of your warm womb;
That life your love and passion brought into being.
No tears now gleam in your pain-racked eyes;
No quiver is noticeable upon your parted lips;
You are destined to bear a child;
For days you have dreamed of this great fulfillment.
Now you do not smile;
You do not cry out;
You make no move;
Only that spark of life within you is stirring restlessly.
That little life will never cause you a tear
And never a smile.
You will not worry as other mothers must;
You will be spared the knowledge of disappointment,
And denied the sweetness of childish confidence.
Though warm within your womb new life is struggling,
Your baby, your own flesh and blood,
You make no sign;
No pain disturbs you;
No joy is burning
In your milk-swelled breasts.
The doctor is bending over you with long forceps.
You do not cringe;
You do not moan;
You know no fear;
You feel no pain;
Alas, little mother, you are dead!





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