Sunday, July 28, 2019

Alicia






Alicia, Harmony, Alannah and I in June 2019



You Are.../I am...

A song whose melody is light—
the best there is—singing
with outstretched hands, my love
inspired by the sparks of joy
reach out and take my hand

I wasted precious time, forgetting
of you in my arms, my house, then
wandering, looking for something I lost
sleep—those nights drowned in red
darker than blood wine, the secret
fear that I wouldn’t find the thing
if there was a thing—that kept you from me

I once held expectations, now only hope—
broken and glued-together hope,
for the reasons mothers understand—with
my hands. I named you 
seeking truth, the gold you might find in
everything.  My girl, always shining,
as you lift your arms to be carried, lifting
away from tender wounds, look
for your heart, unveiled. Look
this way, see me reaching now
by the mercy of God, to bring you back
to me—a mother who loves you



This poem is for my daughter, Alicia, a woman in constant motion, who turns thirty-one today! If you read it line-by line from the top down, it is about Alicia and my constant search to understand her as she grew. If you read it, line-by-line, from the bottom to the top, it is about me seeking understanding for today--to love her for the woman she is.  

All by the grace of God--all by the grace of God...