Your tiny face nestled against my skin
The alchemy of a soul newly ushered into the world
You made me a mom
You transfigured me
Transformed me into a new entity
Birthed me into a new identity
A newly purposed being
A mother
Your mother
Chosen by you to be the gateway to what and who you will become
What sacredness exists in being the vessel that transmutes the energy of a soul into flesh
I promise I will do my best
And I ask that you are patient with me in those times I am not my best
We will learn and grow together
Hand and hand
Heart and heart
-gws
To all of the women who care for others.
Who nurture.
Who give.
Who love unconditionally.
Who struggle to keep the world righted when all they want to do is unshoulder their responsibility for just a minute of rest and peace.
For the men who are the sole/soul care giver.
For the mothers who mourn.
For the mothers in spirit and of spirit.
For you all, may this Mother's Day allow you to reflect, to be present, to be honored by your own self, and those in your lives.
Nurturing and tending to other souls is not easy, but it is an honor and blessing.
I see you and love you, today and all days.
-gws
I wipe the small, petty, vindictive venom from your lips
Sanitize the air polluted by them
I will clip your fangs if I have to
This is not the legacy we will pass on
Your wounds
Claw marks and ripped skin
Will not mar youthful innocence
And loving hearts
They will continue to know a loving embrace
And soft kisses for as long as possible
Before the ugliness and cruelty of the world
Changes them forever
You will not speed them toward that end
-gws
You grabbed me in the airport souvenir shop and took me home
You needed me because you were leaving her behind
Leaving her to her new life
New adventure in a
New state
Without you
The distance was large and though I am small
I am a place holder for a love that is larger than time and space
You need my fluff to represent her hugs
You knew she wasn't really leaving you
It was just time for her to start a new chapter in her life
You were used to being the one to go adventuring knowing she was
Always there to return to
She was always home
Both a person and a place
And now the place was changing
And you could no longer just show up on her door when you need her
When you are sad or missing her, you have me
I am the recipient of her hugs and her love
When you need more than her voice on the telephone
You imbued me with magic that flows from your love for her
And her unconditional love for you
I am the quiet but cuddly representation of the love
Shared by a mother and daughter
Separated by distance
But not by heart
-gws
A full circle 'round the sun
And we're still doing this thing
Trying to fit square pegs into round holes
Trying to maintain a sense of normal
When normal died an agonizing, public death last year
Keeping small children indoors, on screens, for a year
Taxes sanity for every family member
The kids are stir crazy and so am I
I’ve been able to see them all day, everyday for a year
See their growth physically and emotionally
Guide them more than I would have been able to before
I have also watched us all struggle to focus on school
With two-dimensional teachers trying to illustrate a 3-D world
On screens where glitches are common and staying attentive is taxing
Where friends aren’t friends, and discipline a suggestion
How will the kids remember these times
Will they see it as a blessing or a loss
How will they tell their own tales of this lost year
Will they consider the year a loss at all
Or the time they got to spend everyday with each other
And their parents
Only time will tell
Soon we will emerge again into a new and changed world
We will learn to navigate
We will learn a new version of normal
Though I am exhausted beyond reason
I am grateful for this year with my children
I know I haven’t always been my best nor have they
But we’re all, relatively, unscathed in the grand scheme
As the weeks of school dwindle down,
The weather warms and the days lengthen
We work for the finish line where we will celebrate that we all survived
This extraordinary year as a family and weigh our success by our efforts
And not our results
-gws
Words Wishes and Wisdom 