Afua Awo Twumwa

labor

By

,

i have birthed nothing
that did not cut
that did not take away
a part of me

my thighs are tearing apart
(they say push)

head falls back, unwilling
my teeth sink into my livers
(they say push)

i want to tell them the story
of when my first love laid cradled in my arms
of when love made me feel like a woman
(they say push)

i want to tell them
i know how to birth by myself
three men have already come out of me
each bearing their part of my soul on their plates
(a slap on my thigh. wait. it’s the pain of a new life)

(they say well done)
my head remains
still. I want to tell them
i do not know how to keep what I birth
i want to tell them God must
ride the seas and find my arms
teach them to form in a way this baby does not drop

PS. Christmas is here already. And hi, how’s living?

© Awo Twumwaah 2018