this is for my mother,
for his/her/your... our mothers,
for mothers who have given weight to this world
who gave of themselves to us,
who forfeited more than we know for our well-being,
who cradled us instinctively and instructed us,
willingly and wisely,
to women! strong as earth and soft as the surface,
to the bearers of children
to the teachers of love and consequence and hope,
this is for those of you strong enough to birth an unpredictable equation
knowing all too honestly that the outcome is never guaranteed,
knowing not what to expect,
that we, your children, are as predictable and as probable as chance,
knowing that you are storm clouds and we are rain drops
and hoping that where we land is a place desperate for saturation,
to mothers who love child
through disappointment and heartache,
through achievement and bewilderment,
this! is for the woman who gave me my life
who lived for two,
who gave and gave and gave without pause,
who held me and told me i was beautiful
even when i was scarred and scared and afraid of the dark,
to the woman who brought me to life,
gave this heart it's first beat,
nurtured me unconditionally
and only ever lied to me when it was for my own good,
this is for all of you,
for all of the pain and tears,
for all of the belly-aching laughter,
for the long nights turned morning,
for all of the headaches and nightmares and triumphs,
for every single moment you see yourselves in us
and for every day we don't say it,
this is for every bellyflop, bandaid, beauty mark,
for my mother,
and her mother before her,
and for every mother who has mothered me when i was not in the company of my own,
this day is for you,
because every other day we might forget to say it,
and you might forget to accept it,
or you may not grasp it completely,
and this hug is for you,
squeezed tight like a faithful promise,
this moment is for you because you gave us this,
every heartbeat that fills this chest,
every breath in these lungs,
every blink of these eyes,
this is a letter to every woman who tried with all that she had,
momentous, majestic, miraculous, mother!
this entire life is a tribute to you,
that i might live up to your expectations,
that i might do you proud,
you who gave and gave and gave,
you who had to trust in everything without knowing,
having to give way to doubt,
this existence, as honest as love, as simple as truth, is for you,
you gave it your all and we give you everything in return,
to every woman strong enough to love and trust and give without condition,
this is for you,
with every last ounce of love and thanks we can muster,
this! is for you,
to a mother who would usher me to sleep every night with ten simple words,
good night sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite,
this is for you!
and for every woman out there like you
who knows what it is to hold the future in your arms,
to mother it without smothering,
and to know when it is time to let go,
this thank you is for you,
for my mother and for every woman like her.

05/10/2009

Posted on 05/10/2009
Copyright © 2024 Frankie Sanchez