"The First Steps" by Frederick Arthur BridgmanA Poem for Mother’s Day: ‘Birth Pangs’ by Rohini Sunderam The Society May 12, 2018 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 29 Comments The painful birth of motherhood So few have really understood Is but a shadow that foretells The pain our parents knew so well Of children singing out farewell As to their freedom they rush out With a merry, happy shout “See you, mom, papa,” they call Do they look back? Not at all Headlong, heeding freedom’s call. While we stay behind, pretend It’s a new beginning, not an end They have crossed a Finish Line For the first time, we’re left behind Watching, waiting, marking time. And these pains unlike birth pangs go Not in waves, but slow, real slow The first sharp stabs are weeks apart When they forget to call, your heart Then feels a spasm really sharp. They carry on their merry way We check our e-mails every day Every text on our mobile Is opened with expectant smile Every call is answered while For them, it’s ‘can I call back please?’ Rattled off with smiles, with ease While we hold back our tears today Say, “sure, but don’t forget, okay?” And hold off for another day. Until at last the birth pangs ease They never really ever cease A day then dawns, they have their own And that’s when you will know they’ve grown Their love for you is then full blown It’s time for you to smile again It’s time to let go of the pain It’s time for them to say to you Those words of love, born fresh, anew “Dear ma, dear pa, we love you too.” Rohini Sunderam is a Canadian of Indian origin. She is a semi-retired advertising copywriter whose articles and stories have appeared in The Statesman, Calcutta, India, The Globe & Mail, Canada, and The Halifax Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia, Canada in addition to several Bahrain-based publications. As Zohra Saeed, she is the author of Desert Flower (Publisher: Ex-L-Ence Publishing UK). She was a contributor to the anthology My Beautiful Bahrain (Publisher: Miracle Publishing, Bahrain), More of My Beautiful Bahrain & Poetic Bahrain, (Robin Barratt Publishing UK), Corpoetry – a collection of poems satirising corporate life (Publisher: Ex-L-Ence Publishing). NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 29 Responses David Hollywood May 12, 2018 Well done Rohini. A lovely reflective poem full of poignancy. Reply Rohini May 12, 2018 David! Thank you. I’m sure you remember the birth pangs of the poem as well. Reply Leonard Dabydeen May 12, 2018 Poignant; endearing and timely for Mother’s Day, Rohini. Reply Rohini May 12, 2018 Thank you! I am thrilled to see it here and what an exquisite piece of art! Reply Joe Tessitore May 12, 2018 I agree, and one that only a mother could write. Reply Rohini May 12, 2018 Thanks! I am so touched by all the responses. And I’ve logged in at the end of my day. Reply Thanuja May 13, 2018 Lovely poem Rohini. All mothers will relate to this so very well. Keep writing. Thanuja Amy Foreman May 12, 2018 Lovely, Rohini–both parents’ love coming full circle. Perfect for Mother’s Day! Reply Rohini May 12, 2018 Thanks, Amy, by now I am overwhelmed Reply David Paul Behrens May 12, 2018 Heartwarming. Reply Rohini May 12, 2018 Thank you! Reply Nilanjana Bose May 12, 2018 Simply beautiful. Perfect for the occasion. Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you, As you know, your opinion matters a lot to me Reply David Watt May 12, 2018 A beautiful poem for Mother’s Day. Just as in life, you show how all threads come together in time. Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you Reply kavery nambisan May 12, 2018 Such a warm and well-realised poem. Dear Rohini, thanks very much for this. Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Kavery! Thank you for your comment. I am so thrilled with all the responses here. Reply anjan muhury May 12, 2018 Life begins with birth pangs. That is the real beginning of the new journey of a new life. This is what a mother silently prepares for. All by herself, with the hand of God, in attendance ! Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 So well said, Anjan thanks Reply Mallika May 13, 2018 TY Rohini! Life itself is bittersweet, and your poem so well reflects that duality, that is built into every crest and valley we encounter! Happy Mothers Dy to you! Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you, Mallika… oh heavens I am so touched by everyone’s replies. Reply Joy Lennick May 13, 2018 Well done Rohini! You must be thrilled. A heart-felt poem and lovely, apt picture. Offspring, especially…should read it! Hugs xx Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 They did! And my daughter says she can see that she was the inspiration for this poem! Gotta love kids… Reply Shereen May 13, 2018 Rohini…that is such a touching poem. I read it again and again. Wish you a lovely Mother’s Day. Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you Shereen Reply sharon edwards May 13, 2018 Your wonderful daughter forwarded this beautiful poem to me on Mother’s Day. It truly brought tears of happiness to me – thank you for your inspiration in writing it Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you Sharon! Reply Satyananda Sarangi May 13, 2018 Greetings ma’am, A poem that was touching to the core. Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day. 🙂 Regards Reply Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you all! I am so thrilled with all the responses and wishes. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Rohini May 12, 2018 David! Thank you. I’m sure you remember the birth pangs of the poem as well. Reply
Rohini May 12, 2018 Thank you! I am thrilled to see it here and what an exquisite piece of art! Reply
Rohini May 12, 2018 Thanks! I am so touched by all the responses. And I’ve logged in at the end of my day. Reply
Thanuja May 13, 2018 Lovely poem Rohini. All mothers will relate to this so very well. Keep writing. Thanuja
Amy Foreman May 12, 2018 Lovely, Rohini–both parents’ love coming full circle. Perfect for Mother’s Day! Reply
David Watt May 12, 2018 A beautiful poem for Mother’s Day. Just as in life, you show how all threads come together in time. Reply
kavery nambisan May 12, 2018 Such a warm and well-realised poem. Dear Rohini, thanks very much for this. Reply
Rohini May 13, 2018 Kavery! Thank you for your comment. I am so thrilled with all the responses here. Reply
anjan muhury May 12, 2018 Life begins with birth pangs. That is the real beginning of the new journey of a new life. This is what a mother silently prepares for. All by herself, with the hand of God, in attendance ! Reply
Mallika May 13, 2018 TY Rohini! Life itself is bittersweet, and your poem so well reflects that duality, that is built into every crest and valley we encounter! Happy Mothers Dy to you! Reply
Joy Lennick May 13, 2018 Well done Rohini! You must be thrilled. A heart-felt poem and lovely, apt picture. Offspring, especially…should read it! Hugs xx Reply
Rohini May 13, 2018 They did! And my daughter says she can see that she was the inspiration for this poem! Gotta love kids… Reply
Shereen May 13, 2018 Rohini…that is such a touching poem. I read it again and again. Wish you a lovely Mother’s Day. Reply
sharon edwards May 13, 2018 Your wonderful daughter forwarded this beautiful poem to me on Mother’s Day. It truly brought tears of happiness to me – thank you for your inspiration in writing it Reply
Satyananda Sarangi May 13, 2018 Greetings ma’am, A poem that was touching to the core. Wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day. 🙂 Regards Reply
Rohini May 13, 2018 Thank you all! I am so thrilled with all the responses and wishes. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day Reply
