Monday, October 12, 2015

An Ode



You were calling me miraculous
Before you knew my name.
I fell asleep to the sound of your voice
Before I took my first breath.

In diapers, you fed me
By the growl of my stomach
And the light of the moon

Your grocery cart at Costco
Was my heaven-free food and free rides.

You made me after school snacks
And wrote my science fair project
All while teaching me about bleeding with the moon
And how to play Fur Elise in A minor and
How that has exactly 7 flats

I dreamt and you loved and
I studied and you loved and
I created and you loved and
I adventured and you loved. And
You loved

You spoke of my accomplishments
Like they were the cures to cancer

When life got dark,
You wiped my tears and
Shed a few of your own as we both hurt
Over lost boys, lost stories, lost pictures

It rained a lot that year,
But you always
Carried an umbrella to keep me dry

When the sun finally rose
You made me scrambled eggs and pancakes.
You called me courage, respect, perseverance

Hours were spent, I know, researching
The best universities and majors and 5-minute recipes
Despite your un-savvy technological abilities

Days were spent baking bread for neighbor children,
Cooking dinners for pregnant ladies and
Weeding their gardens

You cried laughter when I walked in my gown.
You cried hope when I made my first meal on my own.
You cried endurance, love, compassion, service
For every time I tripped and skinned a knee
On the uneven pavement

You are a lifetime pass to any amusement park
And my abs still ache from smiling too much and
My cheeks still sting from catching the sun

You gave me life and pain and chocolate and family
You taught motherhood

You are love

With Love, Auburn