Motherhood

A rework of a previous piece in honor of today

Motherhood
is a treasure chest
of the lost and found
sitting on the side
of the school playground
dusted with crumbs and dreams

Sense-of-self and boundaries
lie tangled in the straps of baby carriers
closed bathroom doors
Sleep, and gym time 
are buried in there, too
covered by stretch marks and eye bags

Chaos and alphabet soup - 
ASD, ADHD, SPD, GAD, ARFID -
spell out a vast well of patience
discovered wholly by accident
while scouring the box
for topics of conversation 
unrelated to exploded diapers

Resilience bounces out
in the search for jeans that still fit,
flexibility 
arranging variations of Warrior Pose
ready to battle principals on principles
and ableist on everything else

Love - a weakness -
is scattered throughout
like pastel Easter eggs 
calm, gentle and ready to crack

Love - a shield - 
shiny and hard, 
reflective 
mirrored Ray-Bans
Motherhood