here is a passage from moby-dick by herman melville, about whale mamas:
"far beneath this wondrous world upon the surface, another and still stranger world met our eyes as we gazed over the side. for, suspended in those watery vaults, floated the forms of the nursing mothers of the whales, and those that by their enormous girth seemed shortly to become mothers. the lake, as i have hinted, was to a considerable depth exceedingly transparent; and as human infants while suckling will calmly and fixedly gaze away from the breast, as if leading different lives at the time; and while yet drawing mortal nourishment, be still spiritually feasting upon some unearthly reminiscence;--even so did teh young of these whales seem looking up toward us, but not at us, as if we were but a bit of gulf-weed in their newborn sight. floating on their sides, the mothers also seemed quietly eyeing us....and thus, though surrounded by circle upon circle of consternations and affrights, did these inscrutable creatures at the centre freely and fearlessly indulge in all peaceful concernments; yea, serenely revelled in dalliance and delight."
i know it was long, but a passage like that in such a masculine book really stands out with its tenderness and reminds you of the great indefinable sweetness of mothers.
our mothers give
our first softest memories --
wordless and wide, pale
as the dawn
and honey-scented.
we carry
our mothers
in our arms and bellies--
in the secret
turning in the night,
moon garden of lilacs and
sweetpea, tangled mystery,
sleeping fawn
silver stream.
we are forever interwoven
in a great and mysterious
web of song.
a mother tells endless
stories
through her children--
sends them forth,
little boats upon the ocean
to find starlight.
her voice
(laugh, sigh, weep, hush)
lives inside my petals
3 comments:
Always so sweet. We can't wait to see you and Nana. I just got off the phone with her and she said she is moving out and Joey and Emily are moving in. I feel like this is going to be one crazy summer.
Heather, thank you so much for the beautiful tribute to the Beatty moms (and Smith moms too) all mothers really. The poem is as lovely as you are. I had a wonderful day on Mother's Day. I just enjoy so much being with you, quietly in the house just knowing you are there. You are such a joy to me. I love you honey, Momma
Heather this tribute is wonderful, truthful and amazing. You're always so great at being thankful, considerate, thoughtful, complimentary, and able to observe the small miracles that everyone (mothers especially!) are involved in.
The pictures are great--really a great collection, the quote is nice and thoughtprovoking, and the poem is magnificent! You're such a great poet!
I love these mothers of mine: Mom and Amy are most important and I love you both dearly! There's there, Claudia, all my many grandmas, my sisters-in-law, and the AMAZING future mothers who I'm watching closely! I love you all.
Heather, you're the best future-mother of them all and I love you!
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