God with us In the blood dripping from our bodies In our cramping uteri And stained sheets Emmanuel With cracked nipples And milk dripping down  Over Her cesarean scar Because if God has never Keened over an empty cradle Or braced for a pelvic exam Is She God at all?

Open the curtains, let the light in And the comforting knowledge that the robin couple Is finding breakfast under the squash blossoms Coffee grounds in the filter–wafers in the paten Breathe in Steamy, caffeinated incense And this sacred moment of wild hair, morning breath And peace