I’ll Carry You

Photography:Diana Brandt Photography

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. 

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