Friday, May 21, 2010

"Prayer Before Being Born"


I am not yet born; I beg you pause to hear me.
Let not the greedy or guilty come near me.

I am not yet born; I beg you, console me.
I fear the human race may build high walls
to hold me - or keep me out,
and with lying calls
lure me to danger about.

I am not yet born; I ask of you
a white light in my mind
to guide me.
with water and flowers each day
provide me.

I am not yet born; look close and forgive me.
Forgive me for the sins that in me, the world will commit.
Forgive my words when they speak me,
my thoughts when they think me,
my life when they live me,
my death when they kill
using my hands
in unholy lands
to keep hearts still.

I am not yet born; I beg you, teach me.
Teach me in the ways of the parts I must play
when old men scold me
in the hour of the day
when mountains will turn from me
and all lovers spurn me,
when the sea foam seeks to churn me
conspiring to drown and
disown me.

I am not yet born; watch for me
when ugliness would steal me
from anything as grand as my gift to a beggar
who refuses it from my hand.
when the desert calls me to doom
too soon, and I stand
with my own children.
Help and rehearse me,
as they ready themselves to now curse me.

I am not yet born; I beg you, hear me.
Let not the beast who thinks himself God
come near me.

I am not yet born; O fill me
with strength against those
who would freeze my humanity
rage against my sanity,
making me a mere face, a thing,
and like water in a hand,
spill me.

Otherwise - kill me.
******************************************************

This is a fetus speaking to the disconnected living. It's a very deeply philosophical poem, and I used the basic framework idea after reading a poem by Louis MacNeice. I kept his ideation of the unprotected life which knows it will soon enter fierce, strange, harsh, gray violently miraculous waters of life, and we who are still asking WHAT IS IT? If people could define it, they'd understand when it starts, an unborn human would be considered true life, untouchable and sacrosanct if only because it exists. Anything, to my mind, which acts alive, IS. A cell that makes its first division, is living. It acts and moves on its own genetic instructions. And when life is removed, it's our biggest crime against ourselves, in my humble opinion. Many might counter with tales of how some babies would enter the world - products of rape or incest, disease, true horrors. I would only ask one thing:

How does that make them any less a life?

Thank you in advance for your honest personal views.





6 comments:

Constance said...

It doesn't make them any less a life, Cathy. It may be a consideration of of their life would be WORSE with a parent whop has never wnated them from the get-go and will either not care for them and/or be abusive of them or is wholly unable and unwilling to raise them with love and intelligence and protection.
And then there is karma and balancing, which I do not wholly understand of past lifetime assignments.

Big Mark 243 said...

This has been on my mind for most of the day. Like politics and religion, which this topic combines the both of them, I tend not to wade into the fray. But you did ask for an honest opinion, so here I am.

One of the reasons for my agnosticism is that I don't think ANYONE can know what is up with the universe to say with an definitive air of certainty what life is or is about. From the multiverse where this is but one existence within an existence to the thought that 'this' is all that there is, anything could be proven valid as a definition of what life is.

My belief is what they are because of my experiences and what my existence means to me. I am not as sure that it is fair for me to demand of anyone that they have to alter their experience according to my or any arbitrary belief that may or may not exist.

Since I don't believe anyone knows what God/Yaweh/Allah/Mother Goddess or whatever spiritual
manifestation has intended for 'life', then I think that is a discussion best held between the principles who are most directly involved - the deity/spirit and the woman carrying the child.

In the animal kingdom there are cases of abortion and child killing. That those cases may be rare, they have a purpose. If not, then why do those things occur?

If I were to impose my will or belief on a woman I think that I would be wrong for that. In short, I think that it is a decision that is best had by a woman and whatever they belief in. Period.

Any interjection is to upsurp in my mind, the spiritual powers that is being represented. It isn't for anyone but for that woman to have to deal with. Every other person's influence is optional and not a shouldn't be a deciding factor in any decision.

It isn't about karma or a past lifetime. It isn't about interrupting the natural order because like chaos theory, the understood order of things changes with the observation of its operation.

A lot of words to say that I don't think that anyone other than principles should make the decsion and the choice should be available as an option.

Amanda said...

(((((((((((((((((((CATHY)))))))))))))Hi there,
I jusst wanted to stop by and say Hi,you should probllay read my Blog better now.I love your Blog.Have a nice day.

Cathy said...

FOR ANYONE CONFUSED: I AM ANTI-ABORTION. Aurora, you missed what I was saying my friend, but it's not your fault - I write in an older style I guess. My view, as I state, is that LIFE starts when LIFE starts. So if killing is wrong, it must be wrong always or it doesn't work. To be completely scientific, life begins when that very first nucleated cell can replicate itself - can duplicate itself. To me, that's a living thing and if left alone most probably will end up looking like me or you - it doesn't matter if it looks like a piece of bloody snot at some stage, it's alive. It's dividing and knows which tissue will be heart, which will be an elbow. It's ALIVE! And like all life forms we scream about preserving, this one's the most important to me, because it IS me and it IS you and it's all we've done and will ever do. A child of rape is still a child, the child of incest, the baby born in a bathroom. Life is life is life. That's what I was saying. Thanks for letting me.

Cathy said...

TO MARK: One one but the principles involved should make the decision? What exactly is the soon-to-be human being, a non-principle? And WHAT exactly does spirituality have to do with life? Marc dear friend, you say no one knows what life is etc., but we DO know when it starts - when it STARTS, that's when. When something can move and act and duplicate itself, replicate, form tissue, veins, eyes, heart, muscle, all of it - ON IT'S OWN - it must be alive, is that not the definition of being alive? Acting on one's own? Until born, the fetus is considered, and is, a parasite in the mother, and will take nutrition from her to survive. Cold, hard fact. Would you call this a non-living, unintelligent thing? This mass of bloody tissue can actually feel the emotions of the mother. I only state scientific fact and definitely not religious or spiritual myth. To build our rituals around what is convenient for a pregnant women is to forget the most integral tenet we claim to live by: LIFE IS SACRED. LIFE IS SACROSANCT. Those who steal life are made to pay - how moronic that they're made to pay by being KILLED!! Because killing is either WRONG, ALWAYS, or it makes no sense, it won't work, the theory is flawed. I understand your reluctance to tell a woman not to abort her child - so don't. We don't have to espouse all our views, especially this one so alight with the fire of people's passions. My belief is borne in science and stays there, no nothing will taint the facts. And one fact is, when a cell can divide, it's alive. It's the beginning of a life creating itself, it's shell, its body. I should post on this lol I'm talking too much. Thanks for being so plainly honest and clear.

Observer said...

I totally agree with Big Mark. Also, it's because we JUDGE each other for our "sins" according to our various religious/moral dogma that all of our problems arise. Everything in the universe(s) have a natural path of free will to follow and endless choices lie before them. It is up to each individual to use this gift wisely; because if we choose an "unbalanced path" we will be "corrected" by the law of reciprocity eventually. The key is to listen to your own voice and act accordingly and the best possible scenario or "highest good" will prevail for all involved. The key is to TRUST the process of life. It's when we as "concerned humans" interfere with this process that all goes awry and unintended consequences result in a big mess that may take eons to rectify. Bottom line for me: butt out of other people's affairs UNLESS they ask you to butt in!