Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there…
Boat moms, Baseball/Softball + all Sport moms, New mothers, Step-mothers, Godmothers… Aunts, Abuelas/Grammies, too. Thank you for all you do.
From our Travel-School world, we have collected a few of our favorite poems in your honor –
•
The Dream Keeper by Langston Hughes
Bring me all your dreams
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.
•
Mama is a sunrise by Evelyn Tooley Hunt
When she comes slip-footing through the door,
she kindles us
like lump coal lighted,
and we wake up glowing.
She puts a spark even in Papa’s eyes
and turns out all our darkness.
When she comes sweet-talking in the room,
she warms us
like grits and gravy,
and we rise up shining.
Even at night-time Mama is a sunrise
that promises tomorrow and tomorrow.
•
Loving our children comes hand in hand with respecting and appreciating ourselves. Having children connects us with our inner-awkward and also gives us insight as to what our parents probably went through at various stages of our infant/toddler/teen/young adult lives.
This poem by Derek Walcott speaks to the importance of self-love, beautifully:
•
Love After Love by Derek Walcott
The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
•
Moms make our homes, homey;
our beds cozy-warm,
our favorite meals on our birthdays
and our favorite kind of cake.
Snacks and drinks and
first-aid kits are always
at the ready.
Moms have a way
of making us feel good.
At least that is what I know.
•
My Mother by Valerie Worth
My mother
Wasn’t like
Some others.
–
She didn’t
Make cakes or
Candied apples;
–
She sat down
Beside her
Sewing basket
–
And stayed
Up late
Reading poetry.
–
•
–
Family by Sophia Rey
–
Family
Protecting, Loving
Forgiving, Realizing, Wonky
Outgoing, Creative, Wonderfully Embarrassing
Understanding, Hard-working, Whole
Letting go
Mine.
–
The Dalai Lama says that happiness involves two key factors: having a purpose and helping others. Are we surprised his theory describes the core operating system of every mom, ever?–
Super-Moms
Have the ability
to Create worlds:
Artful and adventurous;
Free and fun,
yet also
Safe.
–
•
–
Maggie and Milly and Molly and May by e.e. cummings
–
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)
–
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she could’t remember her troubles,and
–
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
–
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and
–
may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.
–
For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.
–
•
–
Mermaids by Walter de la Mare
—
Leagues, leagues over
The sea I sail
Couched on a wallowing
Dolphin’s tale;
The sky is on fire
The waves a-sheen;
I dabble my foot
In the billows green.
–
In a sea-weed hat
On the rocks I sit
Where tern and sea-mew
Glide and beat,
Where dark shadows
The cormorants meet.
–
In caverns cool
When the tide’s a-wash
I sound my conch
To the watery splash.
–
From out their grottoes
At evening’s beam
The mermaids swim
With locks agleam.
–
To where I watch
On the yellow sands;
And they pluck sweet music
With sea-cold hands.
–
They bring me coral
And amber clear;
But when the stars
In heaven appear
Their music ceases,
They glide away,
And swim to their grottoes
Across the bay.
–
Then listen only
To my shrill tune,
The surfy tide,
And the wandering moon.
–
•
–
Don’t you love
when your mom
signs you up
for something
you exactly do not want to do,
and then
you end up
loving that thing?
•
Where I’m From by Lynne Rey
–
I’m from pancakes and sausages
hot, homemade bread
fresh from the oven.
–
I’m from solid ground
and opportunity
and girls can do anything boys can do.
–
I’m from “work hard
and you will achieve;
succeed.”
–
Though I’m from abundance,
I’m not from wealthy.
I’m not from snobbery or jack-assedness.
–
I married healthy, whole grains,
fresh fruit and the sea
Our love is from respect, friendship, balance.
–
He shows me new lands
and holds my hand
if I’m not sure.
–
Our children are from
hot, homemade pancakes
and fresh fruit salad.
–
Our world is abundant
in whole-heart adventure,
and radical joy.
–
And hand-holding
when we’re
not sure.
•
To Carol and Lisa and Debbie – Thank you for your support and love.
& Grandma Hagedorn – We miss you.
For Amy, Cece, Carrie and Cat– Our role models and super-moms of the best kids we know.
Happy Mother’s Day
•
Ref: Poetry in this post are either in the public domain or are part of my private anthology.
The Dream Keeper by Langston Hughes, Mermaids by Walter de la Mare, Family by Sophia Rey, Maggie and Milly and Molly and May by e.e. cummings, Mama is a sunrise by Evelyn Tooley Hunt, Where I’m From by Lynne Rey, and My Mother by Valerie Worth.
Love After Love by Derek Walcott came to me from a dear friend (Rachel Balaban): COLLECTED POEMS 1948-1984 by Derek Walcott.
Dalai Lama Quote from: www.thepowerofideas.ideapod.com
*Oil Paintings by Lynne Rey
Like this:
Like Loading...
The Dalai Lama says that happiness involves two key factors: having a purpose and helping others. Are we surprised his theory describes the core operating system of every mom, ever?
T I M B A L E R O 
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find a lot of your post’s to be exactly I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write with regards to here. Again, awesome site!
LikeLike