Maternal Lament
The following is a
palindrome; read forwards and backwards.
daughter
relies on
mother
speechless love sounds
the loudest
she knows
looking down to see the
glow in her eye
holding her closer than
life
singing today’s melody
while it lasts
praying that time simply
dissolves
caring for the only
person in the world
her life is devoted to
these few years,
will harmonize with the
breeze
because memories
chant a repeated chorus
and regrets
disappear
years
into months
into days
seconds fly
it’s surprising
love
is more important than
time
daughter
has always relied on
mother
-
originally published on Crybaby Zine and winner of the McGough Award as “Best of the Best” in the Ligonier Valley Writers Poetry Contest