Mothers

A nine-year drought Brought torrents in May You had chosen what to call me But were given a new name Always the strong one You carried on in faith Broken mother, broken father It was your example that made Grace fully tangible Looking at your mistakes showed me what risks to take Working hard to make ends meet No matter what, please know you did well by me Forever humble and first to forgive Treating the other as family Never forgetting where you've been You showed us what it means to wholly live Adorned with quiet strength You proved that meek doesn't have to mean weak Learned to show Love to all, no matter title or rank While not your own, you've helped raise me And for the things you've shown me I could hardly offer sufficient thanks Even as the sickness lingers in your blood You've carried on in hope and Love And even though trouble surrounds all the while You've continued to greet all with a heavenly smile We watched your body fade But until the end, your spirit shown bright Something that cancer could never take away We laid hands on and prayed Oh G-d, how steadfast you stayed How I wish I had possessed such faith Now we feel the weight of your absence And it's raised some doubt and questions But in memorial we'll press on Because, in the end, it's all you ever wanted for your sons That we might realize our dreams Live life beautifully To truly glean all we can from our youth Letting the rest of our lives stand as proof There is a point to all of this To learn to love as you