SHEER WONDER IN NEWNESS - by Chidera Odom

The wait was over, so in she came, like a stallion on Zeus. A firecracker, bursting with Wails, not unlike the sirens with flashing lights. She demanded attention, yet, when she was at the centre of command, she lay down to sleep. In her presence, I felt both monumental and insignificant, as though the world had rearranged itself to make her the heart of everything. I had never seen anything so perfect.All fingers and toes, a ten-on-ten, curled like little claws, with her scanty strands of hair, matted to a white head of soft cotton. Skin, chewy candy soft, and lethally long lashes that rested on her delicate bud-like cheeks. The dim moonlight cast a soft glow across her tiny form, the soft rustle of the curtains whispering a lullaby to the quiet night.I held her in my arms as she slept, <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/MB.jpeg" alt="">Her breath was the tide, rising and falling against the shore of my chest, each exhale grounding me in a way I'd never known. Fear kept tugging on my heart strings, I was anxious for her to look at me. I'd never held anything so precious. She fit so perfectly in the crook of my arms, custom-made for my embrace, nesting like an Eagle's egg, safe and protected. Her lashes flutter and a loud screech follows. Shrieking like a banshee that is having her eyes pulled out. That's just her way of saying "I'm hungry". One full breast pops out and her mouth latches on like a leech. Instinct kicks in, so she starts sucking and suckling. I smile, with tearful eyes. Is it any wonder I am already in love with how everything can be with her? Her eyes open with wonder and stare blankly. She stares unseeing at me, while my eyes roam over her, mesmerized at my bundle of perfection. Her eyes - I have never seen more beautiful eyes. Eyes shaped like almonds with the colour of rich coffee - dark brown, blinking in quiet curiosity Her tiniest finger draws a blank picture on my chest, a caress-like drawl, I’ll never forget. In a few weeks, she will smile at me. Next, she will crawl to me and then call on me. I think of all the firsts yet to come—first steps, first words, first laugh—and my heart swells with a love so fierce it almost breaks me. She is my dawn—a promise of new beginnings, of light chasing away my darkness. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/PYC 0.jpeg" alt="">I am lulled to sleep by the throbbing ache in my breast, brought on by feeding and fretting.  My heart speaks softly—“Someday, these tiny hands will grow to hold pencils, then pens, then the hands of others she loves.” But tonight, her hands are mine—curled in trust and innocence. I cuddle her closer, knowing that the last thing I want is to let go. <img src="/media/inline_insight_image/MBH.jpeg" alt="">

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