Long Story

Before I was born into this body,

I came as my own brother.

Twice-born from the same mother.

Full gestation, breech birth, cord strangulation, cremation.

Between two lives,

I spent nine months in the underworld

And nine months in utero.

I am called Catherine.

My name is also Emmanuel.

I have forgotten thousands of other names given to me.

I was formed equally

In the dark and in the light.

I am the living dead.

As a teen I said “no, not yet”

To the soul who boarded my womb.

He became my first child,

An angel on the other side.

I am a mother of the dead.

Many years later I said “yes” to motherhood.

Nine months after, my own mother departed.

I am a daughter of the dead.

I am also a mother of the living.

I encircle the small bodies of my children, each holding an eternal soul.

My daughter loves me like I am her grandchild.

My son is my eternal beloved.

The long story,

Love, loss and reunion,

A cycle, a circle, an embrace.

Catherine Brooks, 2021