New Life
for courageous yet struggling Ukrainian mothers
and the newborns of war:
cellar shelter
her newborn suckles
in sleep
(French translation by Serge Tomé
abri dans une cave
son nouveau-né tète
en dormant)
smoke-filled sky
beyond the cellar window ...
look on her baby's face
another
night of artillery fire
her breastmilk runs dry
(French translation by Serge Tomé
un autre
nuit de tirs d'artillerie
son lait maternel se tarit)
Chen-ou Liu
My Dear Readers:
Today is Mother's Day, a day of honoring mothers and grandmothers for their contributions to our families, communities and society. I would like to share with you the following haiku and tanka about the different stages and impacts of motherhood:
breastfeeding
the slow drip of rain
on the nursery roof
Vanessa Proctor
midnight rain
not yet used to
motherhood
Pragya Vishnoi
mother’s blanket
the worn corners
of warmth
Rachel Sutcliffe
our laughter flows
from one street block
to another ...
mother's garden hose
spouting a rainbow
Chen-ou Liu
my mother
forgets morning glory ...
sitting by the window
she grows the flower
in her heart
Ikuyo Yoshimura
I brush
my mother’s hair
the sparks
Peggy Willis Lyles
immobile for weeks
I dream of my mother
playing her bagpipes
in the moonlit street ...
how we danced wild and free
Joyce Budenberg
mother’s log books:
rainfall in mm
sun in degrees
all these comings and goings
on the stage of her life
Sandra Stephenson
Mother's Day --
although I know she's gone,
I knock
and wait for the distant
mountain to grow green
Rita Odeh
To conclude today's Special Feature Mother's Day post, I would like to share with you the following tanka written for courageous yet struggling Ukrainians who are missing their mothers today
a bouquet
of carnations wrapped
in moonlight
all that is left
are childhood memories
Happy Mother's Day
Chen-ou
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