The 2nd Sunday of May - May 10 2021

 

The 2nd Sunday of May

May 10 2021

Another Mother's Day.

When we were kids

the joke was why don't we have one?

And the exasperated reply

was every day is Kids' Day.

Which made no sense to us.

Bedtime?

Pointless chores??

Piano lessons???

And don't get me started on school!

A mother sighs

and returns to her work.

And now that we can drive

and have ice cream for breakfast

and learned the mysteries of sex

would we want to be kids again?

Sentimental cards

made with glued-on macaroni

and every crayon in the box

are sweet and cherished gestures.

But what a mother really wants

is a good night's sleep

and a day to herself.

And still a mother

at 96

although sometimes forgetting my name.

And even if roles have reversed

we are children to the end,

when we're with her, regressing

to kids all over again.

Whether it's taking the garbage out

as we were expected,

or spooning salt-free food

into a toothless mouth

and brushing sparse grey hair.

She goes to bed at 6.

Sometimes, we wish we could as well,

while a reassuring voice

reads a bedtime story

we've heard countless times before.