Miscarriage Mother Goose

Miscarriage Mother Goose

Sonia Summers
June 13, 2016

Mama had a little babe,
Little babe, Little babe,
Mama had a little babe,
The gender she won’t know.

Everywhere that Mama went,
Mama went, Mama went,
Everywhere that Mama went,
That babe was sure to go.

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
4 weeks old.

It rode inside her baby bump,
Baby bump, Baby bump,
It rode inside her baby bump,
But still could not be seen.

Then Mama saw its heart beat fast,
Heart beat fast, Heart beat fast,
Then Mama saw its heart beat fast,
Upon the doctor’s screen.

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
8 weeks old.

But one night Mama saw some blood,
Saw some blood, Saw some blood,
But one night Mama saw some blood,
And she got really scared.

And Papa held tight Mama’s hand,
Mama’s hand, Mama’s hand,
And Papa held tight Mama’s hand,
‘Cause Baby wasn’t there.

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
The baby didn’t even make 9 weeks old.

​A D&C will wash it out,
Wash it out, wash it out,
A D&C will wash it out,
My Fair Lady.




NOTES: 
I have always been a poet, having worked at poetry, even recognized competitively almost as long as my art. But poetry only "turns on" for me when I flip a switch or something flips it for me. 

I think one reason this piece hits hardest for me, is it concretely conveys the deadness inside when experiencing a miscarriage. You are stopped in your tracks, just like any sudden tragedy, but as an expectant mother, the death is literally inside you. There is a deadness to this poem that sounds clinical and disconnected. Simultaneously, this period in my life also involved raising a toddler, who was our joy and inspiration during this sad time. The childlike symbol of the nursery rhyme in the narrative of this poem reflects that very young point of view, as our toddler probably wondered why her parents were so sad.

Don't worry about the sadness for us. The greatest healing we experienced came from other families sharing their miscarriage stories with us. I think people in general have begun to realize that as well. I hope that sharing my story helps others.