A Poem...

I wrote this one a few months ago after spending an inspiring afternoon with my mother full of subtle moments of wonder. My mother is one of the biggest influences in my life. She is my encouragement and my role model...

"Excuse me," she says
And at once, I catch a glimpse
Of the timid young girl my mother
Used to be
Moving cautiously through the crowd
So as not to upset our pretzels and straws
I look back to see that she is close behind me
And I place our sweaty lemonade cups on a table
That looks cleaner than the others
We watch children on the merry-go-round
And children wandering about with wide eyes

My mother says, "it's sweet," referring to the way
In which small children absorb the world around them,
Each activity a first experience
She tells me about myself as a child:
Fastidious, and at 15 months, already showing signs
Of compulsive behavior
As she describes our lives together as younger people
I observe in the depths of her eyes
A lucid memory and a wish
That she might return briefly to a time when
We inspired awe in one another
Because of all the things we had
Yet to learn about each other

The years spent on this earth
Have made my mother astute
And self-assured
And I think back to a conversation
Had in the car earlier today
When she said, "I used to wear my emotions on my sleeve"
And I realize that her transformation
From timid girl to wiser woman
Was for me.

Driving home in the car
My hands still smell of cinnamon

I am enamored.

More poems to come later...

~Cara