From birth to death, life is a messy proposition. Sanity, strength, hilarity, tears: I get through one thing after another thanks to my women friends who come bearing gifts and sorrows for one another.
This poem is for you, my true goddsibbs.
Birthing room etymology
by Sara Eisenberg
On any given day
I ponder
your dear faces:
you
and you
and you,
my godsibbs,
women I would invite
into my lying-in room,
my dying-in room
where fluids leak
sour, briny, pungent.
You have your wits about you,
words precise, blessed, musical,
walk right into trouble,
knives
at the ready,
to cut or cut out,
needles
at the ready
to mend or embellish,
soft cloths and lavender water
at the ready
to cool a feverish brow.
Your strewing herbs are
affection, regard, discretion –
with them you refresh the air, comfort us
in this dark, warm chamber.
Through what meanness,
incomprehension,
listening at the keyhole,
did affections thus exchanged
become idle, trifling,
and the speakers
thereof
common
gossips?
Image is fabric on canvas by Kenneth Ngosi that I photographed at the Hillsborough, NC Gallery of Arts.
4 Comments
This is a lovely poem, Sara. We need poetry so right now, and godsibbs, too. As always, thank you for your timely, lyrical words. Deb
Thanks, Deb. I’ve been feeling the pull more and more recently back to the generous white space of poetry, white space making itself visible in the presence of the onslaught of words in the world. As for goddsibbs, in my opinion, we are the bones and blood of the present and the future.
Sara,
This poem took my breath away. And introduced me to the the word goddsibs. Can you explain it for me? When I read your words I get the sense of a generous, warm, inviting sisterhood who stand at the ready to offer whatever is needed whenever it is needed, unlike the gossips at the door. Am I close?
Much, much love.
Ginny
Ah, yes, the etymology. Goddsibbs was used centuries ago to describe the close relationship among women that would, for instance, have them be present for one another in the birthing room. By a process which I invite you to imagine, the word “came to mean” gossip.