M O T H E R S
for those who brought us forth
Mary Cassatt
painted many of them.
So beautifully.
Juno and Gaia
were two of
more than a few
bigger than life
figures: mythic
maternals,
likewise Venus
and Parvati.
But those
of flesh
and blood,
one and all,
they were
the ones
who literally,
or as-if-ly,
birthed and
bathed and
fed us.
Did their best
for us ~ the best
they knew how ~
as we began
to become.
Some have
gone, yes, yet
never forgotten.
Some are
still here,
still tending;
to be endeared,
even revered;
others
reverse-
mothered.
Some are newly
arriving
into maternity;
discovering
its marvels,
its mysteries.
And we,
whoever we are,
who came
singing from and
through them,
can be glad,
can be grateful
they made
something
so felicitous,
so utterly
miraculous
possible.
Colin Goedecke
Morristown, New Jersey
May 13th, 2018