Mummy is a praying mantis
her head bowed, her hands clasped,
her knees bent.
From dusk to dawn
in her position, humble
she sees only the things below.
I want to raise her up
and make her stand straight
and tell her to look up
to the heavenly skies.
I want to tell her that down there
crawls the little creatures
who want her humiliation,
and up there is her creator
who wants her humility.
Mummy is too yielded now
shaped like the praying mantis
her head abidingly bowed
her hands abidingly clasped
her knees abidingly bent.
I could try to raise her upright
and say
leave the crawling creatures
who demand your humiliation
and raise your head to the heavenly skies
for your creator who delights
in your humility;
but I would break her.
Birgitta, ''Mummy, The Praying Mantis'' could be good for translation into Italian, if it's ok with you
this is the beginning of your poem translated into Italian: Mamma, la mantide religiosa Mamma assomiglia ad una mantide religiosa con la testa china, le mani giunte, le ginocchia piegate. Dal tramonto all'alba, in quell'umile posizione, vede solo le cose sottostanti. [the whole text in the Anthology ebook]
The poem probes the link between a faithful soul and the Creator. Highly thought provoking. Thanks.
Very well done, Birgitta. Congratulations on having it selected as poem of the day!
Superb poem, nicely written and congrats for the poem of the day..10+++
Very interesting and well thought out work. Congratulations on being poet of the day.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
You make a wonderful distinction between humiliation and humility, this creates a highly moral focus for your poem and a very positive view of God. I take it you are emphasizes a loving God who expects due worship from his creatures because he is their lord and creator, but otherwise he wants them to be proud of their humanity and their status as CHILDREN OF GOD. This is a wholesome and moral view of religion enhancing our lives. It is far more appealing than the barefoot prophet who is fixated on the power and authority of God instead of his role as the Good Shepherd.
Thank you, Daniel. (Just seeing all the comments after the poem was nominated for poem of the month) .