Date: 2025-10-04
Dedicated to: my mother Susan
To be a mother is to be human
To sometimes fail to connect to your child, no matter how hard you try
To fuck things up, even when your intentions are pure
To try too hard, to care too much – pushing away your child in the process
To be a mother is to be nurturing
To share your most cherished moments, to help your child understand
To gift your favorite music, to have it become your child’s favorite, too
To teach, to understand, and to forgive
To be a mother is hard
To be underappreciated
To be overburdened
To try your best, even if it’s not enough
To be a mother is everything
To find a new purpose in life, for worse and for better
To have your child be your whole world, but for it to take them time to understand, if they ever truly do
To watch your child grow, knowing they’ll make their own mistakes and learn things in their own time
To be a child is to grow up
To obey your mother, and break her rules
To eventually understand, and see her as human
To appreciate her care, and to forgive her mistakes
And to one day repeat the cycle, doing your best to learn from both her successes and mistakes ❤️
This poem was inspired by my friend Dima suggesting I try my hand at poetry, and recently watching Lady Bird