Día de la Madre (Poem)

to all the mothers -
the teenagers in gym clothes, pushing prams
the lady down the road who had IVF twins at 45
the woman with the lonely-only at playgroup, and the tired-looking one
with the seven kids, eight on the way, in the schoolyard

to the sepia mothers in whalebone corsets, solemn in old formal family portraits
the open-hearted grinning mothers snuggling delicious babies in shopping centres
the mothers walking the floor with colicky infants, singing themselves hoarse
the mothers waiting up for reckless seventeen year olds who think they're immortal

to the mothers who keep vigil on the sick,
the mothers who children are missing, and yes,
the mothers whose children have gone ahead of them into the night
to them, in their grieving hearts, especially -

to the mothers facing down terrors with and for their children
the women who live with war and famine and poverty
walking miles and miles for water
to the mothers living behind bars with their children

and to the stylish mothers of the chubby-cheeked little Princelings that grace the gossip mags
to the mother of the celebrity baby with the geographical name
and all the women of the great and the good,as well,

to the army of loco materna
the grandmothers, aunties, friends, cousins
stepmamas, them too,
the women who may not have birthed, but love all the same, with a quiet steadiness

to the women themselves motherless
left, by circumstance or otherwise, bereft

to Prosperina in her fields, awaiting Persephone
to Mary, holding her son close
and Gaia herself, mixed up though that story may be
(but when is this ever as simple as all that)?
birthing the world from her womb

to my mother, tá lár an domhain
most certainly to her -

I wish you some knowing, tomorrow,
every day,
of what it is you do
you remakers of all that is;
you potters of the future.

I wish you joy of it, this commercial feast; I wish
warm blessings on you, every one,
hands and hearts and lips to lift you
and shout in sharp staccato the life you allowed
to flow through you to the world.

Happy Mother's Day, all :-)

- Kathy, 10/5/2014