Every time that I get cold, my mind returns to the memory
That tucks itself away, and burrows out when chilly air
Pinches at the skin and sinks into my bones. The memory,
I’d given birth as the sun came up and now I’d braved
Leaving baby in his plastic cot, to let the water run
In rivulets, the pink tinged water circled in the plug.
But when I dried myself, that cold took hold as air blew through
The open window on the ward. The blood loss seemed to hit at once
And that was when the vision blurred, the shaking stopped
As something shifted deep inside, a slipping of the soul.
Heart rate hammered as I reached the place I slept, the place
Where the baby had been born, freshly made with starched white sheets
But now I’m sure it will also see a death, my soul is drifting
Hardly noticing that the baby’s gone. Reaching for the scarlet button
By the bed, the jug of water and the ‘well done’ card.
I had never thought of death before, but there I was, thinking
That he’d grow up on his own, looking at the aging photographs
And wondering what his mum was like, did she love him?
Why she had to leave?
Margot Kinberg
That must have been a frightening experience! You share it in a very powerful way, too. Interesting how associate death and cold…
patientandkindlove
I ended up having a blood transfusion but it was such a strange feeling.
Isha
This is so very poignant and powerful!
patientandkindlove
Thank you x
crispina kemp
Beautiful and poignant and a welcome share. So many things we keep to ourselves… like the thoughts that go through our heads when we’re on the brink of death
patientandkindlove
I’m so curious about what runs through somebody’s head just before death. I reckon it’s probably quite euphoric.
crispina kemp
I came close, and all sense of hope gone, I felt very calm, and thought, “Now’s to find out.” I was surprised when I recovered consciousness that I was still alive.