I will miss you, big belly, when you’re gone.
My precious egg
With your rumbling song.
My silent companion
I watched as you grew,
Holding a seedling, shining and new.
Slowly, you swelled
Happy and strange
Clutching our treasure,
Together we changed.
Watching your surface, the lake of Loch Ness
Stroking your roundness
Easing your stress.
Shirking the throng
Taking our time
Climbing the stairs
Waiting in line.
We never rush
Our goal isn’t speed
But slowly to nurture, coddle and feed.
We first shared our secret,
But now we can’t hide
We walk through the world
With our cargo, our pride.
Month after month, we’ve carried our freight,
Nothing to do but be
And wait.
Sleeping around you,
Siamese twins
You soak up your lotion,
Shadow my shins.
You’re noticed at parties
Patted, admired,
I’m grateful you’re there
holding court when I’m tired.
You anchor my day
And buoy me at night
Together we trundle, the end in our sight.
Soon we will part, my cumbersome friend.
Our time as companions must come to an end.
A wriggling, bouncing Kinder Surprise,
Breathless, we wait for the present inside.
Jessica Dearlove, 17.6.14
Bun in the Oven 