As Ever Like the Sun & Moon at War

7- ☼☼ ☼☼

this time of need—the most important they

will ever need cooperate to beat.

They pull into the driveway up to th'house                50

and disembark the wagon, rushing in

to tend to Spouse. He points the way toward

the bedroom for the Midwife to arrive

to th'wailing Spouse, who by the brighter light

our Pilgrim notices hath paled white

and sweated through the sheets to soak them wet.

The Midwife places hand upon the Spouse

to take her temp'rature before she says:

"I'll need for thee to heat a basin warm

with water. Also cloths to place on her."                60

Our Pilgrim after this doth still remain

for but a second thinking there will be

additional instructions. Midwife snaps:

"I meant that now, so quit thy standing round!"

He jumps to action filling her request

with hands that, as the water heats, still shake,

for nervousness is only mounting as

the morn continues on. The pain his Spouse

is in is unimag'nable to him

as member of the sex that dothn't bear,                70

but O, her cries—they rend his very heart

enough at least for him to sympathize

in some regard with primal human pangs.

Once th'water's warm'd he takes it back to them

along with rags inside it. Midwife takes

a cloth and wrings it out to place upon

the Spouse's forehead, damp and soothing cool.

From here she reaches in her bag and pulls

a vial with a corking cap she pops

to open up the tube, which puffs a cloud                80

of powder at the sudden pressure shift.

She holds the vial by the Spouse's nose,

instructing her to calm her breathing down,

and like a sedative hath been applied

she regulates her gasping and her groans.

The Midwife says without a glance to our

protagonist: "I think tis time thou leave

and wait downstairs, for often do I find

the constitution of a man is made

exaggerated by his ego's pride."                90

Our Pilgrim gets the message and agrees

that likely he would faint if made to watch

for any longer than he hath endur'd

already at this point. He exits th'room