Mother Dearest

Yesterday, I got a Christmas card from my Aunt Nadine (aunt on my mother's side). She sent me a picture of her and my mother from 1974. This is special because I have precious few photographs of my mother, especially those from so long before I was born. My mother, Sarah, is the one in the hip '70s green.

Included at the end of this post is a poem I wrote in 1999. It was my first print-published poem and has appeared on over a dozen websites since, my most published poem. It's the last stanza that I like the most and that has gotten the most positive response from readers.

And in keeping with this motherly theme, I'll end this post with one of my favorite quotes about family (and if you know my family, this is great advice) from George Bernard Shaw: "If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."

Without a Mother
(By Matthew David Ward)

I wish I had a mother
A father who cares more
Someone I could turn to
In life's thunderous storms

I wish I had more hope
Instead of these dark beliefs
More positive influences
That will not just up and leave

I can honestly say
A child without a mother is lost
For the mother teaches value
While the father teaches cost