The poem is about the early stages of the narrator's pregnancy. The doctor gives her the news that the baby may not be healthy. In a state of panic, we see the narrator resort to the methods of her homeland and her natives to overcome this difficult time and ensure the safe birth of her son into the world. Da' writes: “In the hospital I ask for books./Posters of old rodeos. /A photo of a Mimbres pot /from southern New Mexico /black and white figures—/a woman dusting corn pollen on a baby's head/during a naming ceremony. /Medieval women/ingested apples/with the peel engraved with hymns and verses/as an omen against death in childbirth” (Da'). Not only do we see her resorting to these old rituals of her culture, but wanting the elements of her culture to surround and protect her. She demonstrates her point of view on how sacred a land and culture is and how, even though she has been exiled from it, she will continue to see it as a part of her life.