This Mother's Day, I offer two poems. "Kaleidoscope" is dedicated to my mom as a reflection on the beautiful complexity of our ever-evolving relationship. "A Piece of Me" is for my daughter and captures the simplicity of a moment from several years ago when she was three years old.
Kaleidoscope
Could a tapestry woven over
forty-five years be reduced
to a single thread?
Mother and daughter
growing alongside one another,
crystals in a kaleidoscope
comprised of all mothers and daughters
across time.
With each turn,
the pattern changes,
pieces land in formations
simple and clear.
With one shift,
a new image
appears
fractured
then tumbles
into fresh coherency.
A Piece of Me
(From Brainstorms)
She said, “I wanna snuggle up with you, Mama.”
I leaned against the headboard as she climbed on me,
curled herself into a ball like a kitten,
and laid her head upon my heart.
I kissed her crown and let my lips linger
in her soft curls.
I bent my head to meet hers and rested it there
until I heard her breathing, long and slow.
Sleeping.
I kissed her again and gently squeezed the tender body
that not too long ago had been a part of mine.
And we lay there as I watched the sky turn to dusk,
knowing that she will always be a piece of me.
And I, her.
the easier life gets.