Mother's Day

Mother’s Day

Over passage sitting

Staring at yesterday

Scorn and bitter

The taste of tomorrow is sacred

Alone

Her bricks peel away layer by faulty layer

And her hands

Magical and breaking

Seduce his memory into a smirk

And then a sigh

If she were here we would be different

We would still know each other

Forgiveness wouldn’t be such a stranger

But the night sleeps with her

And he waits

Upon the bridge

For the trees to bring her closer

2010

This is the first poem I have written in quite some time.  This year was my first Mother's Day as a mom - and I naturally experienced it very differently than I have in past years.  I thought about my mother and my grandmothers and how much I wish they could have known Zaiya.   I thought about what their first Mothers' Days were like.  And this led me to think about my grandfathers... my mom's dad is the only living grandparent I have today.  He is... not the friendlest person you'll meet and he's more opinionated than anyone I think I've ever met.  Sometimes I become overwhelmed trying to figure out why he is the way he is - and on Mother's Day this year I could not get the only image of him that I know anymore out of my mind.  The image is what this poem is about... he stations himself in the middle of the sitting area on the covered bridge connecting the two buildings of his retirement community and watches... and I would give a penny for his thoughts...