Motherhood

Pennacle
3 min readNov 21, 2021

The breaking of a new day, the dawn is nigh, the cry of a baby, the joy of being a mother, the instant love, her tender eyes.

Nine months; Nine months of growing in the womb, the youthful adult turning slowly into a mother. The nine months of pain, the plaque of childbirth in the middle of being and non-being.

The first day of life welcoming a new being, her own flesh and blood, mixed feelings yet welcoming the being she calls her own with a smile, a warm weak smile the bond deepens and the being suddenly laughs, the soft laugh of a newborn, the tiny legs so feeble, the tiny hands.

The other mother on a moonlit night, the screams and pain, the needles and Strings all run down her veins at the dawn of day, she gradually pushes and a child is brought forth; a still born not even a second to spare.

Her nine months all in vain as she slowly weeps but she has to survive and slowly another chance of motherhood, another nine months of patience, her own little one .

At last, the joy of motherhood and she tells the tale pressing the child to her bosom giving the child breath the warm air on her belly.

The child cries and she knows what the tiny creature wants, nuzzling and suckling, the child cries again and she sings to the child, her precious voice filled with love as she tells the tale of motherhood, eyes so tender the eyes of a mother.

Years pass and the child is a mini her, the child makes mistakes and she corrects the child, the child cries, the tears like thorns piercing her heart but she has to be strong, the sharp pain, the heavy weight of responsibilities pressing her down.

At teenage hood the child starts misbehaving, hating the mother who carried the child for nine months, the hurt in her eyes.

The mother is a super woman, protecting the child even to her very breath.

The child now feeling superior knowing nothing called responsibilities and yet causing pain to the mother but she takes it all in, praying and hoping silently that the child does feel her pain but to no avail, her own flesh and blood.

Now a monster at adulthood, the child leaves her, the child is now a Mini man, responsibilities heavy on his shoulder, her little boy is now a man, where did the years go?

Soon he marries and has a family, the mother now a grandma, her child now her father and she looks up to him, but so soon he suddenly forgets her and abandons her, his iron woman.

The heart of a woman, so pure, so innocent she holds no grudge fulfilling her duties, bringing up a fine man. She is ready to go back to her father, what more did she not do, protecting her child till her very last breath.

She closes her eyes, the sweet lovely memories of motherhood, the first day of life, grateful to her father and she prepares for eternal sleep, no property nothing just empty with her beautiful memories; Children all around her, her name never forgotten, her memories in our heart, her little boy now a father but he will never forget how pure she was; his super woman.

Judith Efe
© Pennacle, 2021

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Pennacle

Literary Community| Organizers of Pen On Fire Writing Competition| IG - @wearepennacle, @penonfire_