A Mother’s Day Poem

by Rebecca Welper

This is for everyone who loves (or hates) Mother’s Day.
If you’re close to your mother,
  or estranged from her,
If you were abused by your mother,
  or well cared for,
If you miss your mother,
  or feel suffocated by her.
If your mother has died,
  if you have two mothers,
    if you have many mother figures,
      or you long for more mothering.
If you were loved by your mother
  and – or – betrayed.

This is for those who love being –
are worn out by –
never want to be –
long to be –
have become against their will –
are fulfilling their highest calling as –
have different definitions of –
have suffered the deepest loss of –
resist the equation of womanhood with –
not sure if they want to be –
have become in non-traditional ways –
are giving up on becoming –
mothers.

For those who question their abilities –
rise to the challenge –
revel in strength –
keep drowning –
get criminalized –
feel lost –
find joy –
forge their own path –
connect in community –
uphold traditions –
buck the system –
trust their gut –
feel alone –

For those with
gratitude
bitterness
joy
grief
hope
rage
fear
love
ambivalence:

Today is your day.

May you find what you need,
in the Earth,
or with those on this Earth who love you,
or from those who have gone before you,
or with the Divine Mother,
or in your heart,
or in your breath,
or in the breeze.