Motherly Strength

Motherly Strength
Turn and see an ancestral parade of women standing strong
Delivering the next hand to hold, the next tale to be told
Surviving unbelievable stories of hardship and endurance
Beginning with the most miraculous of all – the journey of birth
An expanding line of women, too many to name, too many to know
Unknown women who left long ago, yet, through us their blood still flows
Descending from many women, each of us, but only two shared their breath

One who carried and protected a life in a life-sustaining and growing sphere
One who sustains each of us while carried and protected by the sphere we share
One who was relatively young when she delivered life
One who is as ancient as Father Time and to all things wise

One called Mother, a title either delivered through blood or through a bond
One called Mother Nature, a title given to only one and a nourisher to all
Two Mothers – models of strength who are folded within our beings, our souls
However individual titles are earned, or individual stories of origin did unfold
Lessons learned early from two mothers about the presence of maternal love

One Mother offers a gentle hand when unsure steps
reveal someone too young to walk alone
One Mother offers a gentle breeze when secure footing
reveals someone old enough to walk alone

The same power that gently holds a hand or blows a breeze
Can also cause foundations to shake and storms to rage
    in the expansive seas,
    across stretches of land,
    and in the expanse within

Her passion turning to fury with a lift in a word or a shift in the wind
Forceful gales do calm, and powerful waves and clouds subside
Peace temporarily restored – wisdom and rebuilding left behind

The same power known to invoke a trembling of the senses
Can shift intensity into the most nurturing love to ever exist
    in the expansive seas,
    across stretches of land,
    and in the expanse within

For One this love began when she was the life-sustainer
Or when she first held a hand
For One, this love has always been and will never cease to be
    For Her winds fill lungs,
    Her rains quench thirst,
    Her trees produce oxygen,
    Nourishment is taken from her lands

And when those earthly needs are no longer a necessity,
The one called child, to her fertile soil, will return

Whether called Mother by one during a lifetime
Or by billions throughout eternity –
Mothers, new or ancient, yield
This world’s most powerful and
Most difficult-to-contain force:
The One called, Motherly Strength

Thank you for visiting my blog and reading and listening to my poem about a powerful force that surrounds us each day and is from where we came. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. 💕

Poetry Collection Update~My daughter, the illustrator, and I completed our first (of three) poetry collections. Her original drawings are a beautiful complement to my poems and I am excited to share more details soon after finalizing publishing details. 😊 Wishing for you an inspired weekend. 💓Michele

Picture 1: East Wing Mountain Picture 2: Lake Pleasant