Mom Poem by Moses Kainwo

Mom
You are the mother of mothers
You are the mother even of fathers
Because you are the last in bed
And the first out of bed—before your children
Your bag is full of sweets
For your children without prejudice
And so we flank you like bees around nectar

Mom
Your ears will keep ringing
As long as we yearn for food
Because you are food to us
As long as we yearn for school
Because you are school to us
As long as we yearn for play
Because you are play to us

Mom
The neighbours dropped a scorpion in our path
While you were away
But even from the distance you prayed
And the scorpion moved away
And so the neighbours cried
Oh we want your God
Please share your God with us

Mom
They call us naughty children
Because we pray the way you taught us
So they become too bitter and sour
Than any soup can contain
We call you mommy
Because our shortcomings hardly invite your venom
Though caution in love is key…

Oh mommy oh mama
Your voice is like a pain killer
In the night of cancer
And your soft laughter
Has softened the hardest laughter
In our faces—removing the dimples
And so we love to drink from your cup
Because and only because you are mama

Mom
We just wonder as we wonder
What would daddy do without you
Because of your reassurance
Hope in God is now our greatest capital
And we have learned to stand on faith
To uphold your hands in prayer
Because you are mama oh mama