Fifth Day Of December

By Yukti Bhatnagar

It was the fifth day of December

that I first felt you move

in the recesses of my womb,

a tiny flutter;

a whisper so soft

stirring in my blood,

it took me a minute to grasp

the meaning of it in its entirety.

Elated yet afeared,

animated yet perturbed,

I encircled my still uniform belly

and promise every breathe of mine,

from here on forward,

to each one of yours.

I understood, alongside you

I, too will be born once more.

I would learn to breathe afresh

to the unique rhythm of yours;

I understood, along with you

I, too will drink, eat, sleep,

crawl, walk and run anew.

It was the fifth day of December

that I first felt you move

in the folds of my womb

and discerned a love

deeper and stronger

than the hold of the universe.

By Yukti Bhatnagar