By Hayley Zemontas
I carried you in the height of summer
My stomach engorged as swollen fruit
Maternity smocks strained to the seams
Struggling under the weight of two.
I carried you amidst a pandemic
Unlike anything the world had ever seen
Such devastation, uncertainty and fear
Dimming the glow of pregnancy’s sheen.
I carried you through the sickness
Fought nausea in crashing waves
Took pills until I rattled
In its grasp, I felt enslaved.
I carried you beneath my skin
My organs shifting to make space
My scars, a remnant of this time
Now frilled and pale, like strips of lace.
I carried you for hours
Day and night against my chest
Relentlessly pacing back and forth
My arms, the only place you would rest.
I carried you in your first year
Through every bump and stage
Watched you change, grow and learn
To reach two years of age.
I’ll carry you as an infant
And every year beyond
No matter when or how
If you need help, I’ll respond.
I’ll carry you forever
You’re tied within my blood
I’ll love you without condition
Just as a parent should.
Image credit: Diana Brandt Photography.
Hayley Zemontas is a first-time mum to twin girls. She loves writing poetry and finds it very therapeutic. You can find her on her Facebook page: Twinmumtruths.
