This week we’re back to sharing pieces from the Mothership Writers anthology, Dispatches from New Motherhood, a book that contains work from the pilot programme of Mothership, that ran in 2019/20. SWEET SERAFAEL is a beautifully rhythmic and heartfelt poem by Sarafina Finch. It’s a song of praise and self-discovery, spanning the first year of her son’s life, and the first year of her motherhood.
Sarafina says, ‘Sweet Serafael' is an ode to the light of my life, my first born son. It was one of the first pieces I wrote with Mothership Writers and honestly my absolute favourite. Serafael was born in April and was around six weeks old when I wrote the first three stanzas. The warmth and freshness of spring had well and truly arrived. I was experiencing the beauty of new motherhood, whilst also dealing with the big feelings that single motherhood brought upon me. The inner turmoil kept me dancing between joy and confused devastation. That being said, Serafael so effortlessly gave me the opportunity to grow and develop my wisdom. The final four stanzas were my gift to Serafael for his first birthday. We'd both grown so much and I wanted to capture this in words that memorialised more than a photo ever could. Serafael had shown himself to be an absolutely incredible soul. My confidence as a Woman and Mother had grown through guiding him. Maya Angelou's 'Phenomenal Woman' gave words to my bloom. Ultimately, 'Sweet Serafael' is a poem of my pride and joy for the life I created. It acts as a time capsule for the precious moments that often slip from our memory as time passes and our sweet babies grow. I’m hoping to find the time to add to the poem to mark his 2nd birthday. Mothership helped me birth a tradition, for this I am forever grateful.’
Enjoy Sarafina’s radiant poem here.
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Sweet Serafael
Sarafina Finch
In the twilight zone between awake and asleep we exist,
Me and you … you and I.
A space in the bed once saved for your father
Has now become the space saved for you,
Sweet Serafael.
Awake, I nourish you with everything I have.
I am yours entirely.
Asleep, I protect you and keep you warm.
Mornings are filled with the purest love,
Sweet Serafael.
Thank you for bringing the mornings to me,
For opening my eyes to the wisdom of the sunrise.
Each day brand new.
Your endless possibilities
Wipe away the troubles of the previous day,
Sweet Serafael.
Almost a year on,
As the sun rises upon the horizon,
Still in the safety of my bed
You spring awake,
Ready for the adventures of a new day,
Sweet Serafael.
As the early bird catches the worm,
I notice the subtle passing of Winter.
How the light dances through the window,
With a greater presence
Than the weeks just before.
Spring has sprung
And so have you,
Sweet Serafael.
You’ve inspired me.
As I search for an inner calm,
To counter your outer charm.
I hold gratitude in my heart for you,
Sweet Serafael.
Thank you for choosing me.
For guiding me to be
The Phenomenal Woman,
A title that was always meant for me.
It is and always will be
An honour and a privilege to guide you
In this life and the next,
Sweet Serafael.
***
Sweet Serafael by Sarafina Finch appears in the Mothership Writers anthology Dispatches from New Motherhood. All 50 pieces from the book will be published here over the year to come, creating an online library of what it really means – right here, right now – to be a new mother.