Mothers Day

Mothers Day
by Carol Matthews

A Mother loves right from the start.
She holds her baby close to her heart.
The bond that grows will never falter.
Her love is so strong it will never alter.
A Mother gives never ending Love.
She never feels that she has given enough.
For you she will always do her best.
Constantly working, there's no time to rest.
A Mother is there when things go wrong.
A hug and a kiss to help us along.
Always there when we need her near.
Gently wipes our eyes when we shed a tear.
So on this day shower your Mother with Love.
Gifts and presents are nice but that is not enough.
Give your Mother a day to have some peace of mind.
Be gentle, be good, be helpful, be kind.
Happy Mothers Day. 

I Miss You, Mom

I Miss You, Mom
by Renee Duvall

I used to think that people didn't need
their moms so much after they grew up.
But I've realized that's not true.
So often, when I'm making a decision,
I wish you were here
so I could ask your advice. 
And so many times,
when something happens
that I know you would enjoy,
I wish you were here
to share it with me. 
Now that I'm older
I've realized how special our relationship is.
And while I'm thankful for this bond,
somehow it makes me miss you more..
Mom, I love you so very much. 

M - O - T - H - E - R

M - O - T - H - E - R
by Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell 
"MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.

It’s Mother’s Day

It’s Mother’s Day

by Roger Aplon 
and I’ve been watching 900 US Cavalry disembowel Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne women and their kids at Sand Creek, Colorado in 1864 cutting only the mature genitals to stretch on saddle knobs in Ric Burns’ documentary “The Way West”.

It’s Mother’s Day and I’ve come back from a late lunch with Mom after an emergency trip to a Vet who put down our dying dog.
She was an old breeder who’d folded after her 2nd heart attack,
three litters and 5 years on the dog show circuit.

The breeder called her Jubilee and gave her up to us to nurse
through her dotage.

She left us behind with a rambunctious pup she reared as her own.
We’ll all need to adjust.

Our friend Renee recently lost her dog of sixteen years.
Without her, she says, the walls don’t square.
They’d cross the continent together
DC to Illinois to California.

In Colorado, Fort Lyon,
where Chivington mounted his assault,
lies southeast of Pueblo
where my son’s mother has a sister.
Arid in summer, brutal in winter,
not many settled here
on the way west.
Not many tourists.

Rooms rent cheap in southeastern Colorado.
Food’s generally fresh.
A good place to barter, shop for bowls,
scavenge artifacts.

A good place
on a long trek
to pull up
get mom a coke
let the kids stretch their legs and pee.

A good place too
for the family dog to cut loose and maybe dig for bones.

Thank You For Being My Friend

Thank You For Being My Friend 

by Larry S. Chengges

Thank you for believing in me
when I found it difficult
to believe in myself...
for saying what I've needed to hear sometimes,
instead of what I've wanted to hear...
for siding with me...
and for giving me another side to consider.

Thank you for opening yourself up to me...
for trusting me with your thoughts
and disappointments and dreams...
for knowing you can depend on me
and for asking my help when you've needed it.

Thank you for putting so much
thought and care and imagination
into our friendship...
for sharing so many nice times
and making so many special memories with me.

Thank you for always being honest with me
being kind to me...being there for me.

Thank you for being
a friend to me
in so many meaningful ways.