OctPoWriMo Day 6: "While I was pacing the floor..."

Today's prompt: While I Was Pacing The Floor

Today's chosen word prompt: pacing happy thoughts

Today's prompt asked about times in our lives when we've paced, and while I am more of a fidget type than someone who routinely paces, there have definitely been times in my life when I did. Many sad times, manic times, those kinds of things.

But I didn't feel like going to a dark place today, so I am writing about the happiest time I ever paced in my life; the night before my daughter was born, almost twenty-two years ago.

There really is no structure to this poem, it's more of me telling a story I suppose. But in its free form I share with you one of the most exciting, and joyful nights of my life.

You see, I'd lost two babies to miscarriage before I was expecting my daughter, then I fell ill with Chicken Pox (yes I'd had them as a child I got them again, severely) when I was only two weeks along with her. They couldn't tell if she had fingers or toes from the ultrasounds because she curled them so tight (nor could we tell she was a "she".)

The complications were many and even required surgery at 20 weeks to keep me from losing her. So by the time I had made it to full term and I was all swollen up and my blood pressure was high, they wanted her to finally be born.

So I paced...and she was born a beautiful girl with pitch black hair, and ten perfect fingers and toes.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

While Plastic Snowflakes Sparkled by February Grace

Nine months bedrest, so high risk

“Don’t pick out a name,” they said

but we held on both you and me,

until my blood pressure rose and it was time

“Walk,” they said and so I did

pacing glittered hospital halls all night long

the decorations glimmered overhead

plastic snowflakes and strands of tinsel

It was Christmas Eve

and outside, how it snowed

I smiled thinking soon I’d hold you at last

for the first time, and give you your name

The nurses said they’d never seen a mother pace like me

they said they’d “never forget my smile”

as I walked all through the hours until the dawn’s first light

… you were born on Christmas Day, 7:43 at night

~*~ ~*~ ~*~  

...and I can honestly say, though I loved my daughter even before she was born... I love her even more today.