Finally Understanding My Mother
1967
Like another lifetime
Yet the same lives,
My dad, your husband,
Is off fighting the war
In Vietnam.
Your thoughts are with him,
Wondering, is he safe?
Is he hungry?
Will he make it home?
Not wanting to think about it,
Not wanting to watch the news,
But worrying nonetheless.
My little sister wonders too
Though it looks like she’s playing
Making lines in the dirt
Like a meditation.
I stand quietly.
Thinking. Pondering.
Wondering how to help.
Maybe just standing by your side.
Is enough.
Now, I understand
How strong you really were.
https://joannaoftheforest.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/finally-understanding-my-mother/
— Read on joannaoftheforest.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/finally-understanding-my-mother/
My friend Ann died recently. On Mother’s Day, thoughts of her and other mothers who have left us.