winter’s child
falls to earth
like a snowflake
in the breeze
dancing through
the mortal mist
and amniotic sea

she greets
the rising souls
recognizing faces
somehow known beyond
lost familiar places…

some have lived
long loving lives
too many cut short
by greed and blight
and tragedy

quickly waking
with random access
memory cleared
but not formatted
she takes a breath
and screams
with anxiety and wonder
pulsing thru her veins

smelling the warmth
of soft, moist skin
and an emptiness inside
with mother’s milk
and gentle hand
begins...a miracle
we call life

Pella, Iowa '24