Will she live past birth
past the first days
the surgeries the doctors say she'll need
if her heart
as tiny as it is
and with its missing parts
is to keep beating
if she's to make it through
even the first few hours
the first few weeks of life

It's hard to live with just
the little that we know
especially for her parents
who already love her
to live with the uncertainty
that weighs
heavy on each of us
even as we keep up hope

I have no path of prayer
and still I pray
for this small life
as yet not fully formed
that she given at the least
a fighting chance
to live and thrive
buoyed up by all the love
we have for her
and with which we are ready
to receive her
embrace her and surround her
gratefully and gladly