Mother’s Day

 

There is a snotty nose that needs wiping,

a scraped knee that needs tending

a sore heart that needs soothing

near you. It may belong to someone small,

someone yours to watch over, by blood or choice.

It may belong to someone big, who speaks

their ache rarely, if it at all. I do not know

if you are a mother, but I know that all of us

can do a mother’s job, a father’s job,

can parent one another. Somewhere near you,

there is a child (in a body big or small)

who needs hugs and kisses, or perhaps

a stern talking to. They may forget to say it,

but the kind word, the sympathetic hand,

the firm friend standing by you in hard times

is remembered. Life is hard, we are small,

and sometimes, we need our mommies.

Sometimes, you can be big enough

to care for all the little ones

who need you.

 

*****