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