Glued to my live video cam stream,
I wait for April to give birth

Oliver, the expectant father, looks on nearby.

April paces

“Let me be!” she motions.

She stops

Stands absolutely still.

Contractions ripple across her belly

She crouches, and the neonate, as if on
a water slide, descends.

Thud! After a four-foot drop, the newly-born
lands on the floor

motionless.

Concern and alarm grip us all.

April prods and pokes, but her efforts to rouse
the still one do not help

April cries out in frustration

And then!

A first breath, a second, a slight movement…

The little one stirs with life.

April lifts her towering neck high and swings
it back and forth in glee.

Her baby giraffe is alive!

The wildlife people celebrate the newest addition
to the “Save the Giraffes Project.”

And the baby giraffe— a wobbly six footer–
is given the name Kate.