Homebirthing Days

My husband wrote this yesterday. It is an adaptation of the St. Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V. It is dedicated to homebirthers everywhere:


These days shall be called the feast of Homebirthing Days. They that live these days, and have safe homebirths will stand tall when these days are named, and be roused at the name of Homebirthing Days.

They that shall be there on those days, and see old age will yearly on the vigil feast with their neighbors, and say, "Tomorrow is my child's homebirthing day!" Then will grab their children into their loving arms and say, "these children I helped deliver on homebirthing days."

Old men and women may forget, yet all shall be forgot, but we'll remember with advantages what feats we did perform that day! Then shall their names, familiar in our mouths as household words and gods... Midwives, doulas, Mothers and they the Fathers themselves will be in their flowing cups freshly remembered. These stories the good people shall teach their sons and daughters, and Homebirthing Days shall never go by, from this day to the ending of the world.

But we in it shall be remembered... We few, we happy few, we band of brothers and sisters. And gentle people in their bed shall think themselves accursed that they were not there, and will hold their lives cheap to those of us who stood vigil upon Homebirthing days!