Our Water Was Home
Each month, for nine months, I felt your tiny heartbeat inside me.
Each time I went to the doctor, what I longed for most was to hear you:
that fast and playful heart of yours,
as if it knew that mama was there,
listening to you, dreaming of you, waiting for you.
With each passing day, you grew…
and with you, so did my belly and my love.
You began to move more:
those little kicks that made me smile,
your tiny arms and legs stretching,
playing in your own little universe.
Water was our home.
I took you to the sea,
and we swam together —you inside me—
floating through gentle waves,
feeling the breeze.
And when you were born, you knew it still:
water remained your refuge.
My heart jumped out with yours
the moment my water broke.
You and I both knew the time had come…
that unique instant when we would meet for the first time.
And there you were.
The most beautiful baby I had ever seen.
You came into the world wrapped in water,
the same water that had cradled you inside me,
and that still took days to leave me,
maybe we couldn’t bear to let you go.
Emireth Herrera Valdés • She/her/hers • Mexican and based in NYC
Emireth Herrera Valdés (born in Saltillo, Mexico) is an independent curator and writer based in New York.
