December 5 (2003) Poem by Kit Ludlow

Hand on belly, trying to hold the hand inside you,
I'm lying in bed. Breath upon your neck, breathing in
The scent of your hair, I dread the dawn, the starlight's end.
Labor away the day to sleep the night beside you.
Shuffle along impassive crowds and miles to hear you
Mumble in sleep. Our love made the life within
A testament to our passion and a sweet begins.
Uncertainty haunts the future. I will be near you.

The snow's falling fast. I whisper these lines half-asleep,
Hoping to remember them, preserve each word in ink.
The baby moves, kicks against my hand. Outside streetlights
Pierce through the darkness, crystallizing the flakes. Time creeps.
Morning approaches. I'll arise, knowing we have synced
All hopes, all dreams in an infant conceived by our nights.