WHAT CANNOT BE SAID ABOUT MOTHERS

You can’t call your mother a gutter
That should cause the gods to give you a slaughter
Because she traveled through nine months of torture
And suffered a most excruciating rupture
…of one of her most prized body parts
…to have you
So you can’t call your mother a gutter

II
You can’t call your mother a witch
If you live and receive love because you’re rich
It is because she paved a beautiful path
Through pain, to have you;
From back aches to uncomfortable sleeping positions
She could’ve sat on your head at birth
To finish you off without a cough
But you’re here, flourishing or not
Your breath is thanks to your mother
Only an ingrate thinks of witchcraft
…at the thought of a mother

III
You can’t say your mother is a bother
She lives for your safety
And worries about your welfare
Wanting to know where you are
What you’re doing
How you’re fairing
Are just ways to make her relax
…knowing you’re okay
So you can’t act lion, roaring at her good intentions

IV
You can’t say your mother is a pest
You pested on her body organs
Shared her blood
Forced her to spit in public
…sleep in public
…eat indiscriminately
…and sweat through cramps
If you were not tagged a pest
You can’t say now that your mother is a pest

V
You can’t say your mother is lazy
She made you through hard work
And fed you through her tiredness
She carried you on her weight
And bathed you even in her dirt
She loved you even in her state
And prayed for your better fate
So you can’t say your mother is lazy
Unless you’re crazy

VI
Many are the negative things ignoramuses say about their mothers
But like the bird which muddies waters
…and cries its dirt
Those mouths live to see a future
Where many eyes will glare at their folly
And tag them horrid
…for their mischievous outbursts
Mothers can’t be bothered with negation
For they fry their hearts
…to birth
And they kill their fears to fetch courage
…in order to travel the nine moons
The nine moons which brought you home
…home to earth
Amoafowaa Sefa Cecilia © May 2, 2021. Inspired by Sylvanus Bedzrah