A woman’s heart, true and torn
Winds the valley, dark and hard
Winds the foreign soil
Descending down
Descending down.

Hammered, hammered
The path unknown, steep and narrow
Confused yet learning
Alone in sorrow
Descending down
Descending down.

Change and more change
How long this path so lonely
…So cold and stony
Descending down
Descending down.

Moving down to grip the hand
Small and brown
Confused but learning
Winding a foreign land
Bright, cold and white…
She begins her ascent…

Moving up a path unknown
Winding up a foreign soil
Moving up to heal the tear
Moving up to care and love
Moving up in untold story
Moving up toward the son
Moving up
Moving up
Moving up to live anew

Mary Herbert – began in April 2013, finished in January 2014

I began this poem shortly after a young woman came to stay with us…she was newly widowed and pregnant with her first child.  She faced so many challenges over the months she was with us: grief, delivering her first child, parenting alone with a little help from us, her own parents far away, and so much more grief.  But she began the ascent and continues it still.