I'm sure Sandra M. Gilbert <br />The author of her collection <br />Of poems titled <br />'ghost volcano' <br /> <br />Had no idea what her poem <br />'Kissing the Bread' <br />Would remind me of <br />When she wrote about <br /> <br />Her mother's habit of <br />Kissing old bread <br />Before she threw it away <br />Sandra found out <br /> <br />'Her mother the Sicilian midwife <br />taught her, taught all nine, '... <br /> <br />'Non so. You kiss it like <br />crossing yourself before a crisis, before <br />the train leaves the station, <br />before the baby falls, <br />startled, into a sudden <br />scorch of air.' <br /> <br />What a description of birth <br />- -a baby falling startled <br />into a sudden <br />scorch of air <br /> <br />My grandmother <br />Who is now 103 <br />Has told me of her mother <br />Who was a midwife in Maui <br /> <br />They grew up in the Hawiian islands <br />After their parents came <br />From Puerto Rico speaking <br />Spanish learning pidgin-Hawaiian <br /> <br />My great-grandmother Vegas <br />Had other skills too <br />In addition to being a mid-wife <br />She could heal the sick and injured <br /> <br />Her blessings combined with <br />Her homemade remedies <br />Brought comfort and restoration <br />Of health and well being <br /> <br />Both were more fragile back then <br />From childhood mortality <br />To a variety of fevers boils <br />Farming injuries violent digestive alimments <br /> <br />She was also with them <br />When they could no longer fight back <br />She blessed them and assured them <br />They would be welcome <br /> <br />They were exposed to much of what <br />We are now insulted from by <br />Vaccinations hospitals real doctors <br />Refreigereation indoor plumbing <br /> <br />However as far as I know <br />Babies still fall startled <br />Into a sudden scorch or air <br />Hopfully into warm welcoming arms<br /><br />Tom J. Mariani<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/made-to-feel-welcome/
