A Mother's Valediction Poem by Cheryl L. DaytecYañgot

My life is the picture of wretchedness
Like wilting flower in the wilderness
The spirit is dying, gone is the will
Its cup is void of hope, no one to fill
For myself, I do not dread the stinging cold
Stark poverty has rendered me so bold
Lifetime chances always passed over me
To create my fate, I was never free

My spirit sags from blisters of hunger
An aimless life like mine makes you suffer
A weary heart is always a dead weight
It bears indeed a resemblance to hate
Not even my embrace can keep you warm
From want and plague, I cannot halt the harm
I must send you where there is plenitude
Of freedom that’s so lacking in my world

Strong mother’s love forces these trembling hands
To hand you bundled to the eager arms
Of a woman whose heart is big enough
To save a child from a life rough and tough
I leave you but do not abandon you
Someday you will realize this is true
Long time and wide space can never erase
The poignant imprint of this last embrace

Tortured to think of what I have to miss
Your first word, your first step, even your first kiss
I am prepared to lose so you will gain
A world overflowing with love and grain