Arguably the oldest profession,
her calling is to be with.
She waits with the mother,
measures, consoles, waits,
counsels, waits, praises –
lifts child into its
new world, cuts the cord,
stitches rips, basins the
afterbirth, weighs, washes –
yields child to mother
for life.
If you, like forebear Sarai,
had a child 4,000 years ago,
even then,
especially then,
you’d’ve had one of these.
