O Sacred Womb, Now Broken

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Around the world, families commemorate the day by lighting a candle at 7pm local time to create a “wave of light” around the globe. In honor of today and our son Asa, I (Jo) am sharing a poem I wrote in the months after Asa was born. It’s patterned after the hymn O Sacred Head Now Wounded.

O Sacred Womb, now broken

Betrayed by death’s untimely claim.

Your walls of warmth and comfort

Transformed to space of pain.

O speak and tell me how

His life did come to be

A tale of pain and sorrow,

A path of suffering.


O sacred tomb, now empty

Redeemed through suffering

Your walls of death and darkness

Have lost their final sting.

O speak and tell me how

His death did come to be

A tale of hope in sorrow

A seed of life in me.

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