Threshold

Cold hospital light My footsteps pause at the door. Her cries pierce the walls. Birth's ancient struggle unfolds. Beyond where fathers may go Nurses hurry past. With cryptic glances that hold Untold miracles Hours bend like willow branches, Time stretches, contracts, and waits. Pacing the hallway My heart beats in rhythm with Her unseen labours What tiny face forms itself Behind that forbidding door? Each scream transforms her. Mother being forged in pain Fierce crucible now Ancestors whisper courage. Through generations of birth Then, there was a sudden silence. The world holds its breath with me. A new cry breaks through. A daughter's daughter arrives. The circle completes itself. The door opens at last. Tearful eyes meet mine; she smiles. "Come meet our baby Aarohi!”