Slower and slower; it's not my imagination, not today.
Infant hearts usually beat quickly, don't they?
Lest my breaths obscure yours, I breathe in slowly and hold.
Even though I know nothing will change, hearts won't be cajoled.
Nurses and doctors stare at machines intently but won't meet my eyes.
Come on! Come on! Soundlessly we wait. Then the monitor complies.
Each little blip, every small beep, announces the intact miracle of you.
~~~~~
For the Vocal Moment of Silence Challenge.
Comments welcome.
About the Creator
Judey Kalchik
It's my time to find and use my voice.
Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.
You can also find me on Medium
And please follow me on Threads, too!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 01/08/2026
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By Raise Your Voice by Vocal7 days ago in Resources
Comments (6)
Beautiful work Judey!!!!
So tense and such a relieving ending!! Love this Judey!!
This brought tears to my eyes and had me in suspense right up to that last line.
Excellent!
Simply another beautifully done poem.
Whoa. The tension. This is excellent. It made me nervous reading it. Well done.