My Mother

By Autumn Moon Chan-Garvey

I speak of her often,

Holding her in high regard

My mother is my idol, 

My comfort

A few hateful words along the way, 

But the core is unconditional love 

Because without her,

Where would I be?

From giving me life, to fears of death 

She’s held onto me close 

My mother, a strange unique lady, 

Who finds difficulty with consistency, 

An inability to express emotion that isn’t rage

An insecure attachment type,

Which confused me from a young age 

But as I’m growing into a woman, 

I start to understand my mother better 

A single parent, teacher, artist, 

a child herself at heart

Looking for love and security 

but in all the wrong places, 

an escape from her reality, a fantasy, 

somewhere to rest her head

I do understand better now, Mum 

I hope you see your true worth 

You’re an inspiration to me, to many

My mother, a warrior of a women