Mama holds me in her arms
She doesn’t mind the newborn mess
She takes my measure in her mind,
With a prayer to God to Bless
People mill all around her
The major and minor doings of birth
She tells them all to mark her words
I will make my mark upon this earth
She imagines me dressed for church
Sending pictures of me in the mail
She notes the quiet baby I am
Saying smart babies don’t need to wail
She says I will map new ways
Or maybe I will find new cures
Service is my family’s mantle
Of that she assures
The nurse wants to take me
But Mama holds me tight
They convince her to let go
That it’s going to be alright
My dad bursts through the door
Comes face to face with his fears
His face belies the truth
And Mama bursts into tears
She says my name is Precious
That’s what I am to them you see
That my very life was precious
Because I never came to be
====================
Raivenne-lations 
oh i didn’t see that coming..and she had so much vision and love..
Well the prompt did ask for the “unexpected”…
oy, what makes this most eerie is the perspective of the narator and that they have a consciousness to what is going on…the larger point, that all things have purpose as well…even the hard things & unborn children…hard concept…
Agreed, it is the readers’ realization of that concept, of that perspective which gives this its gravitas.
Yes, agree with Brian and Claudia – this has almost an Anabelle Lee, Edgar Allan Poe, feel to it. Well done! k.
Though Edgar was the furthest thing from my mind while I wrote it, can’t get much better than a EAP comparison given the subject. Thanks ManicD.
I certainly didn’t see that coming. As others have already stated, definitely Poe.
Wasn’t done on purpose, but I’m just enough of a narcissist to hope ol’ EA would have liked it.