Poems of Motherhood
Connections: Four Women in My Family
1. My Mother
When I called to
tell you that
Daniel was born
when we cried together
I felt like the longest
bridge over thirteen thousand
miles, connecting my first born
to my mother
whose first born
had died
forty years before.
2. My Aunt
My Aunt Lady
who rode on horseback
from village to village
to deliver babies
was old with swollen legs
when I went to pay my respects
She said:
A woman should marry
before too long
while her flesh is still edible.
3. My Grandmother
I remember
your white braids
colored at the ends
with deep red henna.
I remember
the golden moons
of your earrings.
I remember you
reading our lips
with the wisdom of
your hundred years.
I remember you
searching through trayfuls
of rice and lentils
looking for tiny stones
your help always wanted.
I remember you
healing your broken old bones
with the power of your will
when you were hit by a car
bringing bread to the poor.
I remember you
loving my name
same as a great aunt
and a distant queen.
4. My Good Aunt
Her flower was
honeysuckle
she was childless.
She gave me
a ruby hill
of pomegranate seeds
in a blue bowl
:: Design by Waterman
:: Logo woodcut by Barbara Leventhal-Stern
