(a villanelle for my mother Shirley)
by Cecil Smith
A Mother's love transmutes the skin and air.
I hear a voice but it is dark as night,
Hello Mother are you really there?
A cut, a scrape, a bandage will repair,
As bedtime nears, she is hidden from sight,
A Mother's love transmutes the skin and air.
Gently nudged from out the nest we share,
"Spread your wings child," afraid I take my flight,
Hello Mother are you really there?
I see her now in my child's eyes and hair,
Trying my best, it's hard to get things right,
A Mother's love transmutes the skin and air.
The roles are reversed, now she needs care,
Eyes are empty where they once glowed bright,
Hello Mother are you really there?
One moment longer, at the stone I stare,
No clouds this day, the Sun casts warmth in light,
A Mother's love transmutes the skin and air.
Hello Mother are you really there?