Mary’s Poem: Advent Poem #4
I have borne many things
As I have borne this son
I have borne the stigma of being
An unwed mother,
Heartache of separation from my parents,
Weight upon my body as we traveled,
The deep joy of carrying this baby in my womb,
And pain upon bringing him into the world.
What will he bear, I wonder
As I look at him now.
So perfect, so precious.
I never knew how
I could love someone so much.
I’ve felt him move and kick and grow inside of me,
And I’ve wondered,
What kind of mother
Will I be?
And who will teach me
How all this works,
Since my mother could not
Attend the birth.
At the same time I feel
A little bit numb
What just happened?
In a few seconds I went from
With child on the inside
To with child on the out.
The whole village must have borne witness to my shouts.
Of pain, and fear, as his time came to be
Not really knowing
What’s about to happen to me.
The braying of donkeys
Echoing my cry
As I lifted my head
Towards the night sky
And wondered
Will the same Spirit
Who made these events take place
Be with me here now, in this foreign space?
But God is faithful,
And now he’s here
Long expected
Yet still a surprise
The Son of God
Before my eyes
I look at this child
In wonderment
Amazed at what my body has brought forth
The One who knows my inmost being
Knit together in my womb
Now swaddled up tight
And laying a manger.
I want so much for this child,
To protect him from all danger
For him to thrive
Have all the good things
That come with being alive
Will he grow up to have
A face like mine
Though he’s not just human, but also divine?
For unto us a child is born
Unto ME
My savior
My son
The one
Who will rescue our people
Who am I to receive this honor
Of caring for the Son of God
Just a simple peasant girl
Who the Lord looked down and saw
I’m humbled and I’m honored
And a little bit afraid
But I will try to be a good mother
For I am the Lord’s handmaid
Words don’t do justice to what I am feeling
So I’ll ponder these things within my heart
And praise God for this story,
And that He’s given me this part