{"id":28,"date":"2017-01-22T20:48:01","date_gmt":"2017-01-22T20:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2017-01-22T21:17:16","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T21:17:16","slug":"a-difficult-birth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/a-difficult-birth\/","title":{"rendered":"A Difficult Birth"},"content":{"rendered":"

An\u00a0old\u00a0ewe\u00a0that\u00a0somehow\u00a0till\u00a0this\u00a0year
\nhad\u00a0given\u00a0the\u00a0ram\u00a0the\u00a0slip.\u00a0We\u00a0thought\u00a0her\u00a0barren.
\nGood\u00a0Friday,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Irish\u00a0peace\u00a0deal\u00a0close,
\nand\u00a0tonight\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0serious,\u00a0restless\u00a0and\u00a0hoofing\u00a0the\u00a0straw.
\nWe\u00a0put\u00a0off\u00a0the\u00a0quiet\u00a0supper\u00a0and\u00a0bottle\u00a0of\u00a0wine
\nwe\u2019d\u00a0planned,\u00a0to\u00a0celebrate\u00a0if\u00a0the\u00a0news\u00a0is\u00a0good.<\/p>\n

Her\u00a0waters\u00a0broke\u00a0an\u00a0hour\u00a0ago\u00a0and\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0sipped
\nher\u00a0own\u00a0lost\u00a0salty\u00a0ocean\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0ground.
\nWhile\u00a0they\u00a0slog\u00a0it\u00a0out\u00a0in\u00a0Belfast,\u00a0eight\u00a0decades
\nsince\u00a0Easter\u00a01916,\u00a0exhausted,\u00a0tamed\u00a0by\u00a0pain,
\nshe\u00a0licks\u00a0my\u00a0fingers\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0burning\u00a0tongue,
\nlies\u00a0down\u00a0again.\u00a0Two\u00a0hooves\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0muzzle.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0the\u00a0lamb\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0come.\u00a0You\u00a0phone\u00a0for\u00a0help
\nand\u00a0step\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0lane\u00a0to\u00a0watch\u00a0for\u00a0car\u00a0lights.
\nThis\u00a0is\u00a0when\u00a0the\u00a0whitecoats\u00a0come\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0women,
\nwell\u00a0meaning,\u00a0knowing\u00a0best,\u00a0with\u00a0their\u00a0needles\u00a0and\u00a0forceps.
\nSo\u00a0I\u00a0ease\u00a0my\u00a0fingers\u00a0in,\u00a0take\u00a0the\u00a0slippery\u00a0head
\nin\u00a0my\u00a0right\u00a0hand,\u00a0two\u00a0hooves\u00a0in\u00a0my\u00a0left.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0strain\u00a0together,\u00a0harder\u00a0than\u00a0we\u00a0dared.
\nI\u00a0feel\u00a0a\u00a0creak\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0limbs\u00a0and\u00a0pull\u00a0till\u00a0he\u00a0comes
\nin\u00a0a\u00a0syrupy\u00a0flood.\u00a0She\u00a0drinks\u00a0him,\u00a0famished,\u00a0and\u00a0you\u00a0find\u00a0us
\npeaceful,\u00a0at\u00a0a\u00a0cradling\u00a0that\u00a0might\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0a\u00a0death.
\nThen\u00a0the\u00a0second\u00a0lamb\u00a0slips\u00a0through\u00a0her\u00a0opened\u00a0door,
\nthe\u00a0stone\u00a0rolled\u00a0away.<\/p>\n

Notes…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An\u00a0old\u00a0ewe\u00a0that\u00a0somehow\u00a0till\u00a0this\u00a0year had\u00a0given\u00a0the\u00a0ram\u00a0the\u00a0slip.\u00a0We\u00a0thought\u00a0her\u00a0barren. Good\u00a0Friday,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Irish\u00a0peace\u00a0deal\u00a0close, and\u00a0tonight\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0serious,\u00a0restless\u00a0and\u00a0hoofing\u00a0the\u00a0straw. We\u00a0put\u00a0off\u00a0the\u00a0quiet\u00a0supper\u00a0and\u00a0bottle\u00a0of\u00a0wine we\u2019d\u00a0planned,\u00a0to\u00a0celebrate\u00a0if\u00a0the\u00a0news\u00a0is\u00a0good. Her\u00a0waters\u00a0broke\u00a0an\u00a0hour\u00a0ago\u00a0and\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0sipped her\u00a0own\u00a0lost\u00a0salty\u00a0ocean\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0ground. While\u00a0they\u00a0slog\u00a0it\u00a0out\u00a0in\u00a0Belfast,\u00a0eight\u00a0decades since\u00a0Easter\u00a01916,\u00a0exhausted,\u00a0tamed\u00a0by\u00a0pain, she\u00a0licks\u00a0my\u00a0fingers\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0burning\u00a0tongue, lies\u00a0down\u00a0again.\u00a0Two\u00a0hooves\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0muzzle. But\u00a0the\u00a0lamb\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0come.\u00a0You\u00a0phone\u00a0for\u00a0help and\u00a0step\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a0lane\u00a0to\u00a0watch\u00a0for\u00a0car\u00a0lights. This\u00a0is\u00a0when\u00a0the\u00a0whitecoats\u00a0come\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0women, well\u00a0meaning,\u00a0knowing\u00a0best,\u00a0with\u00a0their\u00a0needles\u00a0and\u00a0forceps. So\u00a0I\u00a0ease\u00a0my\u00a0fingers\u00a0in,\u00a0take\u00a0the\u00a0slippery\u00a0head in\u00a0my\u00a0right\u00a0hand,\u00a0two\u00a0hooves\u00a0in\u00a0my\u00a0left. We\u00a0strain\u00a0together,\u00a0harder\u00a0than\u00a0we\u00a0dared. I\u00a0feel\u00a0a\u00a0creak\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0limbs\u00a0and\u00a0pull\u00a0till\u00a0he\u00a0comes in\u00a0a\u00a0syrupy\u00a0flood.\u00a0She\u00a0drinks\u00a0him,\u00a0famished,\u00a0and\u00a0you\u00a0find\u00a0us peaceful,\u00a0at\u00a0a\u00a0cradling\u00a0that\u00a0might\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0a\u00a0death. Then\u00a0the\u00a0second\u00a0lamb\u00a0slips\u00a0through\u00a0her\u00a0opened\u00a0door, the\u00a0stone\u00a0rolled\u00a0away. Notes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P8lhFD-s","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86,"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/86"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gillianclarke.co.uk\/gc2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}