Writhing in agony
she screams
and clutches the bedspread.
She pushes and pushes,
wincing with pain.
Her eyes dilute
as the sweat on her forehead
trickles down the sides
of her face,
onto her neck.
Her torso arches upwards
and she pushes
one last time -
and collapses on the bed.
Hours later
she opens her eyes
exhausted.
With an empty feeling inside
she gropes in the dark
looking for the new born -
her child.
She smiles
at the piece of paper -
and turns her head away,
Slumbering peacefully,
for she knows it already.
This is her child,
born after a long
pregnant pause.