The Crowning of A Mother

The Virgin by Dolci, Carlo - National Gallery of Denmark

A Poem by Dabney Kelleen Baldridge

A mother is first crowned 

with fire, the burning ring

of the crowning head within her, 

but this is not the last burning 

of motherhood. 

The hot halo of sleeplessness sits 

just behind her brow, and the heat 

of a love yet unknown 

rushes into her breast, mingling 

with the sting of lips locked, skin 

cracked and sore. Overwhelmed, she prays 

the heat is not infection. She fights 

the flush. Soon it fades. 

Just as she extinguishes one fire, another 

springs up, now an erupting tooth 

that bubbles up boiling cries, 

blistering eardrums, threatening to burst 

them. Arms burn from holding, rocking; 

legs churn—pacing, bouncing—tracing

endless hours with muscle motion. 

This is not the last time her limbs 

will find these lines, though the reasons

change faster than the seasons.

When the fires of motherhood feel 

endless, the crowning is complete, 

for all the pain gives way to the glory 

of gold, beaten when hot, formed 

and strengthened with every blow. 

Forged, she rises from the coals,

purified, glowing like the crown 

upon her brow. So she continues, 

accepting the flames she knows 

will change her forever.

Dabney Baldridge is a busy mother of three young boys who writes in the middle of life's messiness to create beauty out of chaos. She has always loved creating with words and her poems, short stories, and articles have been published by Calla Press, Heart of Flesh, Solid Food Press, Dandelion Revolution Press, and Salt and Iron: Seasoned Writing. When she is not writing she is homeschooling her boys and dabbling in art, photography, and baking. You can find her sharing a weekly poem on her Substack @dabneywrites.