Lo!

At the moment of my birth,

just seconds after leaving the birth canal

& still covered in blood & amniotic fluid.

The doctor, who was lifting me up to show

to my elated mother,

suddenly slipped & stumbled.

I began to drop toward the earth

Doomed —-

& just a hair’s breadth away from

eternal damnation & Hellfire.

When at the last possible second,

the attending doula

 — caught me —

My whole life passed before my eyes.

But I remember thinking,

if I had to do it all over again

I wouldn’t change a thing