(Dedicated to those who lost their Mother)

Here’s to the ones that have gone,
The shedding of blood on us all.
The memories of your presence
Remain in our heart like a flame that
Will never quench.
To the mothers who wore the shell of
Virtue;
To the dead who mothered the living.
Your place is irreplaceable.
Ma, forever, we will remember your
Song on our lips—still and soft.
Sleep tight, Mother. Sleep tight.

Hagios A. Akins

First published March 22, 2020.

Cover photo: The Dead Mother and Her Child (1901) by Edvard Munch. Original from The Art Institute of Chicago (digital)