Grandmother Midwife
She appears as a giant
Spirit
I ask her
what she would like me to know
about her
She lays down in the river
and spreads her legs
The water gushes through
and then a baby
she gives birth to
She says she has given birth
many times before
and she’s been present
at many more
To bring new life into the world
She wanted me to know
This midwifery –
It takes place
in sacred space
It’s an important space
to create and hold
She walks over to my side
of the river
with the baby in her arms
She wants me to see her
this newborn
up close
I suddenly recall a time
I gathered a baby
from her crib
and the feeling of surprise by
the unconditional love
that she exuded
I ask Grandmother Midwife
what she wants me to know
about a space
I’ll be holding
for women
Grandmother Midwife
removes the covering
over her baby’s eyes
so I can look into them
and that’s when
I see one of the women
Grandmother Midwife asks me,
When a baby is born
what does she need?
I reply
To breathe
To be held
To feel her mother’s heart beat
To have the umbilical cord removed, yet still feel connected
To have her cries heard
That is the space
I am to hold
To bring new life into being
I ask her
how I can find these women
She leads me into the river
in bare feet, I stand
looking upstream
just watching
as the women are flowing
to me
in their inner tubes
They’re laughing and giggling
I don’t need to climb a mountain
to call out, into the valley
I can stand in the river
watching
the women flowing
to me
I ask her
to share her wisdom for the group
She steps back into the river
In bare feet, she stands
with the water flowing fast
around her bare legs
She wants us to feel
what it’s like to feel
our feet on the rocks
while the water
flows –
It’s energy moving
all around
our calves, legs, pelvic bowl, body, and heart
She reminds a woman
to remain grounded
in the river
feeling the flowing energy
all around her
I’d love to learn more about what holding space for yourself and others means to you. Include your thoughts below, and/or feel free to reach out to me at kelly@kellycmullen.
