We keep the lights on
(A Poem for Dexter’s and Bazoo’s mothers for Mothers’ Day)
By Luchie Maranan
Remember when they were tiny
We took their hands
And brought them
To where it was bright.
When there was thunder
That frightened them
We held them close
So our heartbeat would calm them.
When they got bigger
And wise and bolder,
It worried us when they
Didn’t come home
When it grew darker.
And then they took journeys
On their own
Because we taught them
To be worthy for others,
To be for the common good.
Our nights were restless
With thoughts of them.
But we trust the roads
They’ve taken and
Homes that took them in
Away from danger.
Now it’s too dark to see
And our hearts are heavy,
Their absence pierces
So sharply
We weep in agony.
But the search is far and wide
And we are mothers
Keeping our lights on,
Flashing the brightest
Of hope that can reach
The dimmest corner.
We weep in the direst
Of moments but
Steel ourselves to
Defy the shadows.
We pray as the child in us
Once prayed for the best wish
We could ever have.
They must find their
Way back to us,
And be soothed with
The beating of our hearts.
