Clarity

twenty years has clarified

our thinking, the relative

importance of books, rain,

dirty laundry, stairs, lunch 

menu and the right color shoe

vintage wallpaper (unironic), 

locating doors, old ghosts,

room assignments, rules 

and whispers of inadequacy

moments to bless, yesing

one another where we have 

been noed,

For all the mothers

For all the mothers.  The wannabes and dontwannabes. The oncewas alwaysam missingmychild missingmymom mothers.  Mothers born in tearsweatblood cussing up a storm.  The getitright screweditup didmybest cantfixitnow getwhatyougetdontpitchafit mothers. The mothers who lovehate this motherhood thing.  The yettobe and neverwills.  The lovebearing painbearing remembering forgetting ones. Not just thisdayasatoken and theoneswholooklikeme but allthedays allthenights allthemothers.