Sweats and Sweets

~The Fruit of labour~ A frail body rests upon the bed; silver grey hair spread on soft pillows; the fan turns lazily as her mind travels slowly through memory’s winding paths. Under the blue sky she toils in sundrenched fields, bent and aching, brow dripping, eyes stinging. She wipes her face, stopping to rest, then back to work. Sitting on the porch watching the setting evening sun and her young boys play, she runs her hand across the swell of her belly, feeling the faint movements within, anticipating the pain of an imminent deliverance. Change of scene, and a relaxed smile strays on her face as she recollects the abundance of harvest’s crops, the laden crates of colourful, juicy, mellow fruit, the threshing floor where golden straw and grain are strewn. One last liberating push; as a cry fills the room her husband’s anxious features soften with relief. The pangs of childbirth now replaced with satisfaction, she holds her little daughter in her hands, tenderly. A smile still plays on her lips; her eyes flicker and close. Her breath is soft as she slowly slips into peaceful sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 18th June 2015 Contest: Sweats & Sweets Sponsor: Olive Eloisa Guillermo Placed 1st