A Mother's Love: Classic Poems Celebrating the Maternal Heart - Brossura

Kathleen Blease is a writer and editor whose previous poetry collections are Love in Verse and A Friend Is Forever. She is a mother and lives with her husband, Roger, and their two small children in the historic district of Easton, Pennsylvania.

One miraculous day, you became a mother. Just moments before, nestled warm in your womb, the little wonder--the child you had never seen but already knew well--filled your heart with anticipation. Then, on that day, that difficult but glorious day, your delicate creation finally laid snug in your arms, against your skin. Warm. Soft. Innocent. Love for this new person filled you instantly and made you complete, never wanting to return to living without it. And so began your new, lifelong journey as a mother.

How sweetly your child longs for you as he grows and explores this world. Even as the years go by and he builds a life of independence and embarks on raising his own children, his mother's comfort is deeply desired and well sought. And it is little wonder: He began as a tiny individual tucked under your heart where he grew, cell by cell, until he was ready for the world. All the while your heartbeat lulled him to sleep, and the sway of your body gave him rhythmic comfort, cradled in warmth. Your voice was the first to touch the baby's ears. Perhaps, then, it is biologically built into us to seek our mothers for comfort--for life! Emily E. Judson (see page 71) wrote:

Give me my old seat, mother,
With my head upon thy knee;
I've pass'd through many a changing scene
Since thus I sat by thee.
Oh! let me look into thine eyes--
Their meek, soft, loving light
Falls, like a gleam of holiness,
Upon my heart to-night.

Without a doubt, motherhood is a profession that comes with high stakes and no monetary or materialistic gains. Yet it is often the most desired occupation in the world and it can be the most powerful position one could ever hold. As a mother, you hold the key to shaping a child's concepts of what is right and wrong, good and evil, constructive and destructive. And it's this child, molded by your love and your lessons, who grows into a productive adult and builds her corner of the world, affecting everything that touches it. As William Ross Wallace put it so beautifully (see page 101):

Infancy's the tender fountain,
Power may with beauty flow,
Mother's first to guide the streamlets,
From them souls unresting grow--
Grow on for the good or evil,
Sunshine streamed or evil hurled;
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.

Many of the great men and women who have changed our world testify to the power of their mothers. "My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw," George Washington attested. "All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her." So many good things are here on earth because of the loving care of mothers!

Motherhood is an endless task that requires selflessness, something that can come from only love and commitment. It is a daily act that is admittedly frustrating and exhausting, at times feeling like a heavy chore. But a mother will endure and find new, inventive ways to lighten the load. Besides, the returns are priceless, albeit intangible. How do we determine the value of the first time a child squeals, "Mama!," his little arms wrapped around his mother's neck, a wet kiss planted on her cheek? A mother would walk across deserts and give away every dollar and cent to feel her child safe in her arms.

There's no better time to raise children. With today's technology we can spend more time providing one-on-one affection and attention than any other mothers in history. Still, it is a mother's warm, loving words and her deepest understanding of her offspring that molds a child's universe. Even in this age of technology and information, a mother's love is in high demand--and it will be forever.

Being a mother requires so much physical and spiritual energy that we often have little left to sort out and appreciate the emotions of raising a child, and of being a child. It is a great gift, then, to read words that express the emotions completely, offering you enlightenment and even some empathy from across the generations. Here in this one tiny volume, poets capture all a mother experiences and everything about her her children treasure. A Mother's Love features poems from mothers, daughters, and sons. Many poets explore both motherhood and childhood and so eloquently capture the powerful bond between mother and child. To all mothers, and to all who love them: enjoy!