labour_of_love raze "and suddenly they were out again, in the tempest. laski held her up, pouring himself through his fingertips into her, as she lifted her legs and pushed. the nurse entered with a tall young man in white uniform. he stood at the foot of the bed with the intern as laski and diane held on, out upon the sea, love-blown sailors lost in fathomless depths of time and destiny, coming now slowly back to a room of strangers who seemed eternal too, in a never-ending play. 'if you'll just step outside a minute,' said doctor baker. laski went into the hallway and gathered himself together in a single prayer_without_words, offered to the ocean. the door swung open. the young doctor stepped out and said, 'things are developing now. we'll be taking her down to the delivery room.' laski went back to diane. she was bent up, contracting alone, and he went to her. 'your baby's on the way now,' said the nurse, smiling cheerfully at laski. he suddenly remembered the baby, the little swimmer in the secret sea. he's struggling too, struggling to be with us, struggling just like we are. laski's heart became an ocean of love, as nine months of memories flooded him, and the baby was real again, real as in the night when laski felt tiny feet kicking inside diane. our baby, our little friend, is being born! and this, thought laski, is why we labour, so that love might come into the world." — william kotzwinkle (from "swimmer in the secret sea") 220530 what's it to you? who go blather from