Neonatology

This excerpt of Elizabeth Alexander's poignant poem, "Neonatology" was read on Krista Tippet's "On Being" program on NPR on January 6th, as a part of a piece called "Words that Shimmer."

Giving birth is like jazz, something from silence,
then all of it. Long, elegant boats,
blood-boiling sunshine, human cargo,
a handmade kite —

                                 Postpartum.
No longer a celebrity, pregnant lady, expectant.
It has happened; you are here,
each dram you drain a step away
from flushed and floating, lush and curled.
Now you are the pink one, the movie star.
It has happened. You are here,

and you sing, mewl, holler, peep,
swallow the light and bubble it back,
shine, contain multitudes, gleam. You

are the new one, the movie star,
and birth is like jazz,
from silence and blood, silence
then everything,

jazz.

The full poem can be found on Elizabeth Alexander's website.