I sit, holding myself
Trying to comfort
and find hope
to soothe the pain out of me
Pain and joy erupt from deep inside
enveloping waves that shake me
awake in my body
and what it's capable of
Reminded of my children
and the pain of their birth
the violence of the body to bring forth
And then the joy of holding them
somehow both part of
and separate from me
I sit, holding myself
with the same fear and wonder
as contractions of pain rip inside
I sit with a comforting thought
the belief that this pain will bear out
the same beauty and grace
This alone is how I hold the pain inside
while finding joy without