As Mother’s Day approaches, I started to reflect on the magnitude of what it means to be a mother. I thought about all of the women who take on the role with such strength, selflessness, and grace. I thought about how incredible it is—this unconditional love that a mother feels for her child. She gives of herself in so many ways and never stops giving her love, energy, and support to her children.
I wanted to share some poems that have touched my heart that truly celebrate what it means to experience motherhood, to be inspired by our mothers, and to appreciate motherhood in all of its forms.
“Mother,” Nikita Gill
The water of her womb, your first home.
The body she pulled apart to welcome you to the world.
The spirit in you she helped grow with all she knew.
The heart that she gave you when yours fell apart.
You are her soft miracle.
So she gave you her eyes to see the best in the worst.
You carry your mother in your eyes.
Make her proud of all she watches you do.
This poem illustrates so beautifully the loving and giving nature of a woman. Our mothers provide us with our first home, they give us their hearts and their love, and we carry them with us forever. I especially love the last two lines of this piece. A mother’s love can be an eternal gift to us. No matter what happens, they are with us always in the things we do and the decisions we make. They are there in spirit and their love transcends the physical to guide us always.
“Gina Minks Toddings,” fullcirclepoetry
She touched her scars
Reminding herself how beautiful they are
Gracing her body like the stars
Across an endless sky
Aligning perfectly in time
Eternally sacred lines
Following the map they provide
The stories of her children
Our greatest blessings
Brought to life
I love this poem because it’s such a poignant reminder of what the body is capable of and how it should be viewed as nothing short of beautiful. To provide a home for another human being within your own is an act of immense love. There is no shame in carrying the scars or stretch marks from this time. They are, as the writer puts it, “like stars” that are mapping out the beginning of a journey into motherhood and a love that changes you forever.
Alfa
Love has found me many
times during this lifetime.
Hopelessly besotted and
rocked to the core…
But the love I have for
my children is the only
love that split my soul
with each birth, and still
miraculously multiplies
with each year I am
their mother
I love the imagery in this poem. Mothers come in all forms, and I love that this poem also touches on the soul level of being a mother. Much like childbirth, motherhood can split your soul and forever change you in ways you could never imagine. In this process of breaking open, you can create space for love that will overflow and continue to grow for years to come.
Poem by Rupi Kaur
i struggle so deeply
to understand
how someone can
pour their entire soul
blood and energy
into someone
without wanting
anything in
return
i will have to wait till I’m a mother
Mothers often sacrifice themselves without ever expecting anything in return. They seek to fill their children with love. They seek to nurture and to protect and to provide, no matter how much it takes from them physically or mentally. Love like this is in its purest form and should always be celebrated.
Christy Anne Martine
A mother wraps
her love around
the heart of her
daughter, keeping
each beat steady
through the rhythm of life, until
wings take shape
and it’s time
for the soul
to take flight.
I love this poem because it describes the relationship mothers have with their children as they grow older. Mothers prepare their children for the world. They ensure that no matter what happens, their children remember that they are loved and capable beyond measure; they can keep this love with them always as they walk through life, knowing that their mother will always be there, whether physically or in spirit, to watch them soar.
A. Shea Writer
A mother’s heart
is never her own.
Bits of it are sown
into the souls
of her daughters
and her sons
I love the unconditional and infinite love described in this poem. It is eternal. A mother’s heart will take up a permanent residence in the hearts of her children. Our mothers always find a way to give us a home, and as we grow, we give their legacy a home within ourselves. It is the kind of love that persists and remains, even when everything else has changed.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing women out there who have stepped into the role of motherhood with grace and resilience.
