In search of a poem to share this Friday, I came across this poem by a Filipino poet- Alice M. Sun-Cua. Back in the day, majority of births were done at home as assisted by the woman called the Midwife. She was the healer, the woman who knew the mysteries of birth (see Myra’s post on the Newbery Medal book The Midwife’s Apprentice). This poem is taken from the poet’s book: Chartered Prophecies and Other Poems. Poetry Friday is hosted this week by Random Noodling.
Midwife This is an arcane language I speak; to tell of a journey through dark centimeters mapping out landmarks of pulsing membranes, articulate the distance of passageways bony and prominent, deem passenger willful enough to navigate narrowing walls in every conceivable way. I am an accoucheur: a figure as old as the strange words I chant, holding the hands of women keening, singing through their tears. There is timelessness in what I do. To be midwife is to be “woman, with woman assisting,” witness to a daily renewal. It is to stand alone in an inescapable, intangible, interminable landscape. It is to wait until the birth of a song.
Gathering Books 
I like this so much. Thank you for sharing. I am a Filipino poet too. =P
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hi bibliokeptomaniac,
I’m glad you enjoyed the poem. Nice…a Filipino poet visiting our site. 🙂
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I hope someday i will be posted here too =P I will do my best to be famous
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I like this one, Iphigene!
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I was lucky enough to have a hospital birth assisted by a midwife with my first child. Thank you for sharing this poem.
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“birth of a song” Lovely ending. Nice to learn of a new-to-me poet. Thanks for sharing this!
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I love that last line, too. There’s a lifelong connection with the woman who is with you in labor.
Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Lovely poem! I imagine you felt as good writing that last line as we all feel reading it.
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Iphigene, this is so beautiful, especially in the first person. I love the line “singing through their tears”. I have read The Midwives’ Tale, based on a very old diary, and loved the story of women helping women. Thank you for sharing this.
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It’s beautiful, Iphigene. I love the tautness of the early lines and the breaking open of the final birth of a song. Really lovely.
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Yes, as Linda said — women helping women. And the cycle goes on…
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Thank you for sharing my poem in your blog, Iphigene! 🙂 Am happy it brought joy to your readers.
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You’re welcome. It was wonderful finding your book and it was a joy to share . Thank you for writing it. It’s always a wonderful thing to find authors, writers and poets taking the time to read our posts. 🙂
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