Adrian’s poem
of Hamish’s birth, 2005
1.75 – HAMISH
A longed for cry
burst our bubble
of fear and what-ifs.
And washed over like us
like a silky sigh
of blessed relief.
1.75 kgs flashed in red
as a machine placed a weight
on the two of us plus joy.
I followed him
into Intensive Care
and my son looked at me!
She was so tired that night
in pain the next day
but we still saw him.
Into Special Care after a day
there for another 3 weeks
almost a month of one's heart being away.
2.00 kgs flashed in red
and we slowly and softly
took him home.
For the first two months
sleep was estranged
but it mattered not.
The life we had
movie, social, couple is gone
but it matters not.
It matters not
for each day he smiles
and envelopes us in him, and love.
Four months and six days
of him breathing our air
and giving us heaven.
1.75 is now 6.00
and he looks like me
and like she.
My life
once divided
is now tripled.
He is here
the world is the greater
he has arrived, and thrived.
Contentment
is his smile.
1.75 - Hamish.
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost over in my part of the world – six long weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by hot, lazy days at the beach or the pool with lots of daring exploits and laughter. Many of our days were spent at home, basking in simple pleasures like baking, playing games or outdoor pursuits – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. However pleasant, I must admit to being relieved that life gets back to normal next week, and I can reclaim some of my own time for writing again!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007