There. And then not.
A hand. A grasp. Tightly held. Tighter now.
The pain.
Searing.
The tears.
Streaming.
Words ... jumbled.
Senseless.
Muttered.
Eyes.
Deep. Focused. Holding mine.
Breath.
Strong and powerful.
Motivating.
Darkness.
Silence.
And then the pain.
Again.
Reaching out.
Again.
A hand.
A grasp.
There for me.
There with me.
Not alone.
Never alone.
And soon ... it happens again.
Hand in hand.
Together.
In and out of silence.
In and out of pain.
Waiting together.
Hand in hand.
You've really captured the feeling of being confused and in pain, grasping for someone to help!
ReplyDeleteThis could really be the narrative of a woman I heard describing her 9/11 experience escaping from the Towers. She was in the stairwell when it collapsed and she was buried under rubble. Then, your words fit her sotry perfectly. How well you captured that moment without knowing it.
ReplyDeleteWho held her hand? Rescuers said there never had been anyone there, but she knew his name was Bob. Now she thinks it was her guardian angel.
That gave me chills! You really captured what it's like to reach for help.
ReplyDeleteSounds like labor pains to me ;-) beautifully written!
ReplyDeleteawesome. i love this intensity of this; reminds me of labor. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with some of the others. I read it as someone in labor.
ReplyDeleteBut I can also see how it could be something else.
Regardless you did a great job!
Yep, definitely conjured the feelings of labor. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe way you wrote this was jarring, which was a perfect way to convey the pain of the moment.
ReplyDeleteLabor pains?
ReplyDeleteOuch.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and poetic.
But, ouch.
(Great job, friend!!)
Loved the post. It was so intense. Searing even.
ReplyDeleteI think it's more than one thing. Labor and PPD. I've only known one but the other sounds horrible.
I, too, thought it was labor and then perhaps the darkness of PPD, though like Natalie, I don't know from experience, so I couldn't be sure.
ReplyDelete