Welcome to this month’s 3 poems by 3 poets. As it’s Mother’s Day here in the UK, I thought I’d dedicate this month’s selection to our mums.
The first poem is a beautiful poem by Julia Kasdorf called “What I Learned From my Mother”. What the narrator talks of learning a sense of compassion from their mother; how to be with someone in their grief without having to say a word even if you didn’t know the deceased. Empathy and compassion is something I think this world needs more of, so to all the Mums ( and Dad’s) paving the way. Bravo!
The second choice is ” I Wore this Dress Today For You, Mom” by Kim Dower. A poem about the regrets the narrator has, as their Mum has now passed away or left ( the narrator doesn’t explicitly say which), but wore it today for them. The dress I read as a metaphor for something much deeper; such as the narrator feeling they may have disappointed their mother because they prioritised the other things in life instead of spending time with the family as the mum wanted. Moral of the story, if you know that recently you haven’t made enough time for the ones you love, do something about it.
Mother’s Day is a day where children young or old show their appreciation to their mothers and shower them in love. However I have no doubt, we all will know someone who either publicly or secretly has a difficult relationship with their mother. Therefore I feel it’s only right to include a poem to reflect this in my selection. “From the House of Yemanja” by Audre Lorde. Upon reading this poem, I am even more grateful that I have a wonderful relationship with my mum.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Megan
Megan Layley 