Subjective Substance - November 2003

	Online Journal of Poetry Volume 1 Issue 8 November 2003

To the Fathers of Babies...
by Linda L. Bielowski

To the fathers of babies unwanted and
wanting amnion who cling to wailing
walls in wombs penetrated by phallic
tools of sweet-talking deception

Tiny spirit/matter subway trains who
push through furtive tunnels to seize
daybreak feeling the open-door rush of  
first breath in fresh lungs

Cherubs of Guernica with grimaced
faces and clenched fists flailing in
a war of wills to weep for mothers
lusted after but never loved
seedbeds fertilized like spreading
fields vast and void in their anonymity

Holy Innocents wrapped in cerements
woven of dust and glory to await the
rocking and cradling by seraphim wings
the soothing and sonant lullabies of St. Philomena 
plumbing her fingers in crevasse birthmark
crucifixes etched in palms and soles

Impelling the sacred return to their Sender
the Father of fathers...ready to sow
but never to reap...of  babies
unclaimed

Linda is a practicing psychotherapist and certified pastoral counselor. After a long hiatus, she returned to creative writing through her experiences facilitating a spirituality group and through the support she received during a poetry exhibition at the University of Chicago. "My work derives from a spiritual/psychological base; and, delves into our interior selves to unravel the deeper issues intrinsic to the human condition." Linda's work has appeared in numerous journals, including Poetic Hours, Muse Apprentice Guild, and, SubtleTea. Spirit Echoes, her first poetry collection, was recently published.

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