My Mother - A Poem

Shining Light that shone so bright
To illuminate my world
A beacon in my darkest hours
When my weaknesses unfurled.
You gave me Love when Love was lost
And Hope when there was none
You helped me look beyond myself
Gave me the Will to carry on.
You made me laugh when I would cry
And to think when I would not
You always sought the truth from me
And you knew when I would lie.
Sometimes you made me feel ashamed
Of the things I’d done or said
Yet always you were there for me
To show the way ahead
And lead me from my waywardness.
You shared my Hopes and Dreams and Fears
You cooked and cleaned and washed my clothes
And dried away my tears.
You stood by me when I let you down
As I was prone to do
And forgave me for my churlishness
When I was rude to you.
You gave yourself to me and mine
And helped us on our way,
I know my wife is grateful
For that week you came to stay
So long ago when we were young
And felt we couldn’t cope
With a new born babe’s demands on us,
But in fact you gave us Hope
By doing what you did so well.
So thankful am I that I had you,
I would not have wished for any other
Person in this World than you
To have as my friend and confidante,
To Love and call “My Mother”.

So many words unspoken, so many thoughts left unsaid
So many emotions left drifting, around in your Son’s head.

Written in December 1992. My Mother died on Jan 4th 1993 aged 71, she had Alzheimer’s.