Poem: I Have Become My Mother - Jamaicans and Jamaica

Poem: I Have Become My Mother

I sometimes resented your overprotective and caring ways
At times it seemed such a bother
But with each passing day I realize more and more
I have become my mother

I have become the sweetness of your beautiful smile
The kindness in your eyes
The tenderness in your voice as you made me feel
I was your greatest prize

I have become fire in your belly, for integrity and truth
The peace within your soul
I have become the one who takes life’s broken pieces
And dares to make them whole

The friend to the friendless, the voice of the voiceless
She who lends a helping hand
Who knows how to make lemonade with so-so water
If things fail to go as planned

I used to wonder why you were so into plants
Didn’t quite understand the nurturing streak
And these days I laugh at myself as I have become
The biggest gardening freak

With the filter of age, there is so much I understand
So much is oh so clear
Even the punishments meted out in love
Because you hold me dear

Now as a mother I see so much of you in me
In the things I feel and say and do
And Mummy, I am a better person, a better parent
Having passed through the university of you

Mother of mine … thank you can never be enough
And I love you like no other
To the world I say, I am happy and proud that
I have become my mother