The Nativity of John the Baptist

How terrifying
to give birth through these bones
that ache with age, flesh
that bears the scars of the hungry years;
and nearby, Zechariah wrings out words
with his eyes: Breathe. Just breathe. Please
do not cease to breathe.
The birth waters reach their flood;
over them the cries of mother and child
embrace, their voices intertwining
as their bodies separate.

About Rosalind C Hughes

Rosalind C Hughes is a priest and author living near the shores of Lake Erie. After growing up in England and Wales, and living briefly in Singapore, she is now settled in Ohio. She serves an Episcopal church just outside Cleveland. Rosalind is the author of A Family Like Mine: Biblical Stories of Love, Loss, and Longing , and Whom Shall I Fear? Urgent Questions for Christians in an Age of Violence, both from Upper Room Books. She loves the lake, misses the ocean, and is finally coming to terms with snow.

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