Birthing Butterflies -- Claudia May

<p>Birthing Butterflies </em>aligns the metamorphosis of butterflies, a symbol of transformation and resurrection, with nineteenth-century Black enslaved mothers. Like a cocoon, their wombs nurtured and birthed memories that sustained Black life. Just as butterflies take flight from the confines of their self-built shells, these poems explore how Black enslaved mothers inhabited Black love, joy, agony, freedom, and rebirth. They soared above the systemic structures of slavery set on diminishing their human dignity and dismantling their communal regard.</p><p>Birthing Butterflies</em> acknowledges the suffering Black enslaved mothers experienced when their difficult labors left them unable to control their bladder and bowel movements - a condition called obstetric fistula. These women endured countless surgeries without the aid of anesthesia when the nineteenth-century surgeon, J. Marion Sims, operated on their tender bodies.</p><p></p><p>Birthing Butterflies</em> recognizes the collective trauma shadowing the histories of Black enslaved mothers. Still, this collection of poems decenters Sims' presence by asking, what role did enslaved community members play in caring for Black women burdened with the infirmity of obstetric fistula? Who nursed these women as distress overcame their bodies and spirits? What hopes did they have for their children?</p><p></p><p>Birthing Butterflies</em> offers a humane appreciation of the vital spirit and robust legacy of Black enslaved women. I