Poetry

A Mother’s Journey

A story of waiting — from 10 months to always

She jumped with joy, her youthful hands clutching her face.

She was a mother-to-be. She waited eagerly, counting the days.

She strode to the kitchen to grab water, tired and in a daze,

Her baby’s sleep cycle meant everything was in a haze.

She bathed him, clothed him, fed him, and tightened his shoelace,

He was off to his first day of school — his first step in the rat race.

She was tired but still signed up for the extra shift and sighed.

She told him that they could afford a new drum kit — she had lied.

She paced around tensed, took a deep breath and felt no better

as she waited for the mail and in it his university admission letter.

She smiled and waved as he left for college. She felt like a clown:

her smile was fixed, even if she was feeling very down.

She hugged Juliet hard for she was his new focus in life

and waved as they left to live their life as man and wife.

She waited patiently for a call, a tear escaped her eye

she hoped he was safe and doing well, she let out a sigh

Suddenly, the phone rang and she picked it up in a hurry,

careful to sound cheerful, not to show worry.

She heard his voice, the conversation was brief

but knowing he was fine always brought her relief.

She smiled, prayed for him, and looked at his photo on the wall,

and continued with her chores, already waiting for the next call.