My Response

As part of an assignment, I wrote some poetry in response to Anna Barbauld's poem (see below). Here is one of my attempts at being a poet (along with my commentary for the benefit of those who aren't as familiar with me or the situation we are in currently). ;)

Longing to Conceive

(February 9, 2012)

These long years have carried such pain,

And probably will send me more,

But Hope’s Faith-ful light will burn brighter still.

Full of Charity, I ponder

The sacrifice that has been made

To allow this all-consuming yearning.

The longing deepens in my breast

At every smile and tender kiss

Stolen from another mother’s treasure.

My heart’s beat quickens at the thought

Of cradling you within my womb

And aiding the Lord in giving you life.

Forever I’ll wait for the chance

To call you my own, and to love,

With all of my soul, your gentle spirit.

With this poem I actually tried to stick to a form (each stanza consists of two lines of 8 syllables each, and one line of 10 syllables). No matter how much time passes, I still feel the God-given desires to conceive and bear children. Since I was very young, I’ve loved the idea of giving my daughters the names Faith, Hope, and Charity (our first daughter is Nicole Faith), and I’ve included those names in this poem as a sign of the hope that I will have more children someday, whether in this life or the next.

It's been more than six years and we are still trying to get pregnant again, with no success...but I am eternally grateful that we at least have Nicole! I know of many couples who still struggle with being childless, and my heart goes out to them.