My Mother

My mother is jelly donuts and well worn prayer cards.
She is driving too fast, getting everywhere ten minutes early.
She is going to bed early and rising well before the sun,
‘cause she has so many things to do and can’t wait.

My mother is cat books, cat calendars, cat pillows, and cat mugs.
She is cat stories and cat jokes (but never at the expense of a cat).
She is a catatonic love of purring fur bundles, catalogues, catnaps
And abiding love of all animals, but most of all, cats.

My mother is grass clipped just so and flowers in row upon row.
She is toil in the soil and gardens to rival any royal estate.
She is a house painted white inside and out, crisp and clean as
The birch trees she bleaches back to their natural perfection.

My mother is bets on cards, wagers on sports, specs on, well, anything.
She is taking risks, challenging the odds, poking at the status quo.
She is rooting for the underdog(or cat) because the biggest risk,
The grandest wager, the largest bet she ever made, was on me.

My mother is charity and service as a way of life.
She is generosity that knows no bounds.
She is put everyone else before herself and
Never talk about it because it is breathing to her.

My mother is devotion to her children: born, adopted, and passed.
She is late night pep talks and study partner before exams.
She is foundation, super structure, and heavy lifting crane,
Raising her children up, up so they can touch the stars.

My mother is super high standards and perfection. 
She is a spotless house with everything in its place.
She is patience and perseverance and fearlessness
When cleaning up messes, especially mine. 

My mother is “you can”, “you will”, “I knew you could”.
She is “get back up”, “keep going”, “never give up”.
She is the life coach who pushes the hardest
And the cheerleader who shouts my name the loudest.

My mother is too quick chats over the phone.
She is repartee and jokes at my expense, and hers.
She is lingering conversations, kind and meaningful,
With impressions that last years and touch generations.

My mother is nicknames for everyone, including herself.
She is “Suzy-Q”, “Sooz”, and “Miss Motion”.
She is “Suzy”, “Margaret”, and “Nurse”.
For me, she is always, simply and purrfectly, “Mom”.