To My Mother...

With Mother's Day around the corner, I thought I'd post a poem I wrote for my mother at Christmas.  It is the first of a planned series in which I will write my personal description of the most important people in my life, starting with my mother, father, and sister.  Mom's poem is first simply because the words came first and the easiest.  I guess it just goes to show there is no one quite like your mom.  Or, as my best friend, Scott, said once in a conversation, "No one trumps mom."

Anyway, happy early Mother's Day, Mom!

To my mother...

A silent hug, a gentle sob

At the phrase, “Mom, I’m so scared.”

The cool, unflinching gaze

Facing emergency or hardship,

And the scattered, playful persona

Found in the ordinary moments

The surprisingly unstoppable laugh

Like a flood gate held back and finally set free,

The tirelessness, the stubbornness,

The dedication to family togetherness

There is the bitter hint of the past,

But mixed with a fragrant calm

And an undeniable positivity

Infusing every word and action

The hesitant walk into a room

Suddenly powered by the quick smile of recognition

But hurried at other times, outpacing everyday New Yorkers,

The hair, a carefully coifed mane

A crowning glory she can't do without,
The eyes, at times withdrawn, ever unreadable, always kind,

Green orbs and wary and sometimes hidden behind a camera,

The tall body, thin arms, and legs shaped for field and court

Further forged by rounds and small office spaces

A caregiver, a doctor, a friend
A dispenser of advice (both the sought and unsought varieties)
The asker of uncomfortable questions
The assumer of the worst...sometimes
And the giver of hope in a bad situation

Most often, though, a face out in the crowd
Expressionless yet exuding support and pride
A face to look for amongst a strange array of stares.