Have you ever read a poem that made you take a sharp breath while your hands moved right into your heart? These are the four poems that made me do that…
What the kids say
Kate Bear
I can’t get to my cup, my water bottle,
Snacks on the shelf. I can’t
that. I don’t do that. I will never do that
In a million years. You need to help
myself. Please help me faster. I’ll do that
I asked you. I don’t like pizza
Watermelon. I don’t like anything
I liked it before. I don’t want that. i will do it
That’s not necessary. I will never move up
This floor. Don’t help. Please don’t
hold me. Don’t sit by my side
bed. I’m not sleeping. I’m not tired.
I’m too scared to fall asleep. you must
hold me. You have to shake me. Please don’t
Leave me alone. i am thirsty. I
I’m hungry. I’m too tired to put my toys on
Get away. Don’t get mad. Don’t start
sing. Where is the butterfly I drew?
I’m still hungry. I’m still playing. Intention
Will you leave me? Would you like to stay?
strap
By Billy Collins
The other day, I slowly bounced back
From the blue wall in this room
Move from typewriter to piano underwater,
From bookshelf to envelopes lying on the floor,
When you realize you are in the L section of the dictionary
My eyes fell on the word strap.
French novelists don’t have any cookies
You can send it to the past more suddenly –
Past sitting on a camp workbench
By deep Adirondack lake
Learn how to knit long thin plastic strips
A gift for my mother, as a strap.
I’ve never seen anyone use straps
Or, if that’s what you did with them, wear one,
But that didn’t prevent me from crossing
Cover the chains over and over again
Until I made a box shape
Red and white straps for mother.
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
And I gave her a strap.
She nursed me in many hospital rooms,
I lifted the medicine spoon onto my lips,
I put a cold face cloth on my forehead,
And it led me to a ventilated light
And he taught me to walk and swim,
And I presented her with a strap.
There are thousands of meals here, she said
And here is clothing and good education.
And this is your strap, I replied,
I made it with a little help from the counselor.
Here is the body breathing and the heartbeat,
Strong legs, bones, teeth,
And two clear eyes reading the world, she whispered,
And here I said it was a strap I made at camp.
And here, I want to tell her now,
Not a worn truth, it’s a small gift
That you can never pay your mother back,
But the amazing approval she received when she took it
Two-tone strap from my hand,
I was sure the boys would do that.
This useless, worthless thing I woven
It will be enough to make us out of boredom.
The committee is heavy
by Andrea Cohen
I’ll tell my mother
He won the Nobel Prize.
Also? She says. Which of
Is it discipline this time?
It’s a little game
We play: I pretend
I am someone, she
Pretend that she isn’t dead.
Mother, cradle hugging me
by Maya Angelou
That’s true
I was created in you.
That’s true too
That you were created for me.
I owned your voice.
It was shaped and adjusted to calm me down.
Your arms have been molded
Hold me in the cradle to shake me.
The scent in your body was air
I was perfumed to breathe.
mother,
During those early beloved days
I didn’t dream of what you had
Big life including me,
Because I had a life
It was just you.
Time has steadily passed and we have pulled away.
I was unwilling.
If I let you go, I was afraid
You will leave me forever.
You said with a smile at my fear
I couldn’t stay in your lap forever.
That day you need to stand
And where am I?
You smiled again.
I didn’t.
Without warning you left me,
But you quickly returned.
You left again and came back,
I’ll admit it soon,
However, Ah Relief did not rest easily with me.
You left again, but you came back again.
You left again, but you came back again.
Every time you re-enter my world
You brought you a guarantee.
Slowly I gained confidence.
I thought you knew me,
But I knew you,
I thought you were looking at me,
But I held you tightly in my eyes,
Record every time,
Memorize your smile and frown.
In your absence
I rehearsed you,
How you sing
With a breeze,
While the SOB lies
At the root of your song.
How you posed your head
So that the light can love your face
When you put your fingers in my hand
And your hands on my arms,
I was blessed with a sense of health,
Strength and very fortunate.
You were always there
A heart of happiness for me,
Brings grey nougat,
An open laughing treat.
I’ve loved you for years
When you didn’t know anything
And I knew everything, I still loved you.
Of course, despicable
From my high perch
The wisdom of teenagers.
I often spoke about you sharply
Because you were slow to understand.
I’ve grown older
I was surprised to find it
How much knowledge did you gather?
And very fast.
Mom, I’ve learned enough now
I know I’ve learned very little.
This day
When a mother is respected,
thank you
My selfishness, ignorance, and ock ha ha ha
I didn’t bring you
Please throw me away like a broken doll
It had lost its favor.
thank you
You still find something in me
To cherish, to praise and to love.
Thank you mom.
I love you.
What parenting poems and other poems do you like? After reading these I feel full of emotions. I have to do a hard gulp! Also, if you’re interested, please read Poetry is not luxury It came out this weekend – curated by an anonymous person behind Instagram account With the same name. xo
PS My Maternal Mantra, and how romantic is this poem?
(Photos, from the top, Koganami Studio, Dream Rubber, Felix Chacon, J. anthony;
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
