Poem – Mother’s million things for children

Once you were young and beautiful
Perhaps you turned eyes, you were so cool
Perhaps you had dreams and desires
To learn, travel, explore new shores

English: mothers day photo, Pakistani mother and her child (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instead, bound by social norms
You bore daughters and sons
Sometimes we did not care, did not understand
Sometimes we rebelled and sassed

But you never failed to rise
To tend to each of our cries
To a life not of your choosing, but your calling
You gave all, abundantly, loving and smiling

Keeping warm our food each day
When we came from school, August to May
How did you do it? Find love in your heart
Sometimes when life was far from perfect

You found a way to look past life’s sorrow
Your eyes on our dreams, as you sat by the window
At times you sat with us, yawning and sleepy eyed
Well past midnight, as we sat and studied

You never strayed from our bedside, when we got ill
Afraid to move, lest it awaken us, you sat still
Holding our little fingers, as we put entire trust in your palm
You took us for little treats, your presence soothing like a balm

Cooked, scrubbed, swept, even as you did your million chores,
As we slept late into the morn, dreams dancing on our eyelashes.
Now you are old and feeble and perhaps have forgotten your sacrifices
A life devoted solely to your children, no other desires or vices

A million things you did for each of us, amidst your busy day
Have we too forgotten? A debt of deep gratitude, we can’t ever repay?