We are all called to be Mothers

I called her the Duchess as a baby, 

She somehow conveyed that the service was sub-par

And decided to take things in hand, eventually towering over me

In all ways, it seems.

And now she is a Mother, and her babies will demand every bit 

As much, as children do.

We are called to  be Mothers in this world, so many tears

 To dry, so many flowers to plant, so much loving is needed,

Especially in these times when a chainsaw is celebrated as the 

Solution to human problems.

Be a Mother today.

MIT Graduation - the only one who showed up

He's the only one who showed up,

To show respect for Herculean tasks undertaken,

Accomplishment in less than four years,

That's what no money does - you hurry up.

The teeming crowds of families, not only the 

Fathers and mothers, but the uncles, aunts and cousins,

All milling around on campus, the parties, the

Hugs and congratulations.

He was the only one who showed up, this brother,

While the Mother and Father had better things to do

Than celebrate a daughter's graduation from MIT,

Maybe because they never gave a single penny,

Their skin was never in the game.  

In the end, it is they who lost in 

This Precious life. 

 

The durability of a delicate husk

I spotted the glimmer of the tomatillo husk amidst the creeping bellflowers,

having survived the bruising winter, crushed by snow,

Pelted by hail and rain, the delicate skeleton hull of the tomatillo endures, sparkling

In the sun, having only opened so far as to let slip the lucious 

Fruit onto the ground, no doubt its seeds waiting patiently to

Spring forth new life 

 

When I was young

When I was young, I didn't know that I was beautiful,

That my smile filled my face and beamed out at everyone in sight.

My teeth were so white and my lopsided smile assured any potential

Friend, or foe, that I was not to be feared.

When I was young, I could wear form-fitting dresses on

My slim frame, this one given to me by someone who could not.

I didn't fully appreciate the gift,

The real gift, of being young, but not so young, that the world

Had become mine, parents gone, siblings at a distance, 

Established career and my own house with flowers behind me,

Lilacs that are blooming at this exact moment, ten years later,

And they still smell the same.

When I was young, I only knew what had been, and now I only

Know what was, and only now see the beauty in my smile,

The gaze that said, "Hello! Here I am and I want to be your friend".

 

What you can find there

It is difficult to get news from poems since the title font is small

And never capitalized.

A poem is usually not found on FaceBook or the leading article in the NYT;

One never finds poems on newsstands and the poetry section at the bookstore is in the 

Back corner.

Frankly, poets are partly responsible, seeming to celebrate the most obscure and difficult to understand.

An unknown word should not prevent the falling in love with a great poem

Most of us never read poetry, our heads down, doomscrolling on our phones,

Suddenly rising, slightly out of breath and shaken, we may wonder why 

We subject ourselves to such daily trauma.  

The great poet, WC Williams, asks us to find something there,

 in poetry,

Perhaps you will find yourself there

 

I never planted you

I never planted you but you keep coming back in Spring to brighten my day.

I didn't have to ask the woodpecker to alight on the suet feeder and stare at me so intently

Or even wonder whether my brother would help me fix the dishwasher,

Because he always does

My husband cooks for me without me asking, and our dog wags her tail so hard when we

Walk out the door for our walk that I have to smile regardless of my mood.

I didn't ask for this life, but I arrived in this world and she has taught me to love

The flowers which arrive unbidden, the generosity of strangers, birdsong on a Spring morning

 

Never Forget

Never forget that you still have something to say, that you have arrived in this place

Through some sort of magical fertilization and growth, some yet more magical coupling

Of two who had blindfolds on when they signed their marriage license.

Never forget that you have not failed until you have died, and even then, you may have another 

Chance to learn about chord progressions while listening to angels.

One never knows, but never forget that today is today, and there's a chance that 

Past experiences may be cleansed in the snow which has magically transformed into 

Red and yellow tulips, ones that I never planted, but that arrived by squirrel or bird,

Never forget magic.

Or miracles.