here is what i would say by Jamie Bonilla

{A note from Beth: from May through August 2015, I am featuring some delicious guest writers here on the blog as I recover from pregnancy and birth and adjust to our new family rhythms (find more details here).  Enjoy!}

art by Jamie Bonilla

if i could hold your alive-beating-heart, i would speak

in a whisper, cradling gently

the strength born of grief

the muscle walls thick and sturdy

from the hard work of continuing to live and

send nourishment through

arteries and veins.

here is what i would say:

(and you would have a hard time understanding

as the tears flow, breaking up what is left of my windy voice)

"here is hope

she is your mother; you are hers,

held and seen in each others' arms"

you would hear:

      ...hope...

                 ...mother...

...see...

and it would be enough.

---

jamie bonilla is a found poet and artist, who is very herselfish. she lives in southern california with her husband and two boys, and a dog she’s learning to love. she is never happier than when she gets to be monkish and solitary with her cup of the-best-chai-in-the-world or holed up in her studio, flinging paint and finding poetry. you can find her online at jamiebonilla.com where she blogs about art, spirituality, and other parts of humanness, like the body and personality; and she is quite active on instagram as therustyartichoke.