Mother's Day

Mother, you bore me,
You held me,
You loved me.
And I said nothing.

Mother, you clothed me,
You fed me,
You bathed me.
And I said nothing.

Mother, you spoke to me,
You hugged me,
You rocked me.
And I said nothing.

Mother, you taught me,
You showed me,
You sheltered me.
And I said nothing.

Mother, I thank you,
I need you,
I love you.
And now I wish to show you.

For as each passing day makes its mark on my past, it brings me nearer to understanding.
And as the understanding dawns, my respect for you grows and matures.
As I draw closer to this day, the day when it is my turn to show you my love in the most constant way possible,
I learn. I watch. I feel. And I weep.
I could only ever hope to be half the woman, the mother, the friend, the listener, the wife, the human being you are.

You have made me unafraid to be myself.
You have taught me to love others for who they are.
You have guided me through hard times and simple.
You have loved without condition.

You yell at me when I do stupid things, out of love and fear.
I remember the time you were so worried; I fell down the stairs and you ran and grabbed me and shook me seeing if I was ok. Your nails hurt worse than the wood on my back. But I didn't mind, it meant you loved me.
You weren't always a person, you were a dream, a mystery, a worthy foe, a protector, a legend, a hero.
Now I see that you are not. You are mortal after all.
It makes you all the more impressive, Mom.


Mommy, I love you.
I always have.
I always will.
After all, I learned from the best.