A Mother’s Love

When a baby is born,
it’s the happiest day of your life
You are handed a bundle
of perfection, You make
a promise to be the baby’s protector
to fight fire with fire and
to die before you let harm come to her
Then your child grows, and she wants to play
She asks you questions as if you hold
all the world’s secrets in your hand
You fear for her. Curiosity is dangerous
You teach her not to get into cars with strangers,
that candy is illegal on the weekends
and to fight fire with fire
Your child grows up
She’s a teenager now
but never moody. She grows
more beautiful each day
You gift her pepper spray,
tell her to fight fire with fire
You fear for her.
You are afraid every time you switch
on the news or hear a politician speak
She is fearless, she has fire
in her soul and fire is dangerous
She reads books with long words
and is certain she can change the world
You fear for her.
The world bites back
And fighting sometimes means you burn
She volunteers in prison, you tell her not to,
that it’s dangerous. She says not
to worry that the prisoners are just like you
That they’re scared too
That she can turn poison
into syrup and that one day
she’ll change the world
You fear for her.
Maybe you supported her
dreams too much
She believes in peace on earth
You believe it’s a nice idea but
unattainable. You don’t tell her that
You fear the day she finds out for herself
She smiles.
Your child always has been born of fire
You find despite yourself
you’re beginning to hope
And hope is a very powerful thing