Mother's Day

Grateful for her mother
And her mother's mother
And her grandmother's mother
Grateful to have spent time with them
Sad that only her mother is left

Sadness in the mirror
The chain stops here
Miracles are not to be had
In the land of opportunity
Tears fall like rain
As the salt filled hourglass drains away

No slow growth is coming
No gentle kicks
This pain is worse
No tender feeding
No hands to hold
No kisses to place

Grateful for the aunts and sisters
And grateful for the other mothers
Mothers by choice rather than blood
All of them caring
All of them unique
All of them loved

Wiping away the rain
Sobs fade to sniffles and to silence
Caring for others not her own
As chance offers small windows of time
Grateful shadows of what might have been