Not My Child

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


"I've bad news to tell you,"
Said the doctor, so grim,
"Your child's very sick,
And her chances are slim."
"I don't believe you," she said,
As she burst into tears,
"She's young and she's strong!
She has many more years."
And she vowed,
Not my child, NOT my child.

The doctor sighed as she left
Because it was plain
Only time and time alone
Could help her with her pain.
As the months passed, she saw
Her child grow pale and thin,
Until no medicine she took
Would ease the hurt within.
And she prayed,
Not my child, not MY child.


Then the time came when
Her child couldn't leave the bed,
And she realized time was short,
And her heart filled with dread.
She bathed the sunken face,
And forced a sunny smile
For the eyes that looked up at her
And yet, all the while
Her heart cried,
Not my child, not my CHILD.


And when the fever grew high,
She placed the child in her lap;
A child almost as tall as she,
And there she let her nap.
With a hand upon her chest,
She counted each rasping breath;
Singing soothing lullabyes,
Hoping to hold back death.
And she whispered,
Not my child, please, not my child.


When the mother finally dozed,
She found herself in another place.
And her child was running and laughing;
Of the sickness, there was no trace.
And there stood a man
Dressed in a shimmering white gown.
And though his face was kindly,
He wore a small frown.
And he asked,
"What is wrong, my child?"


The mother fell to her knees,
"Oh, thank you," she said,
"For healing my child
Who was so nearly dead."
"Your child?" he questioned,
"She was not yours, but mine.
I just loaned her to you
To love and care for for a time."
And his face softened,
"And you've raised her just fine."


"The time has come
For her to take her place here
But if you keep your heart open,
She will always be near.
Now, give her a smile
And let her go;
It's time she learned
Of her work down below."
And he touched her head, and said,
"I give you peace, my child."


The woman then came awake
Strangely rested and calm.
The child in her arms smiling,
But her spirit and breath were gone.
The mother allowed a single tear
To fall on her dear child's face,
But of the despair in her heart,
There was no longer a trace.
And she said,
I will always love you, but
You were not my child; you were HIS.