Poems

My Mother Daughter

If we sometimes adopt our mothers
If we sometimes baby our mothers
Cradle them in our laps
Lean their greying heads against our breasts
Lay our hands on their hot brows
Rock them, hum a lullaby
Rock her, lull her
Lulla-lullaby to mother
To she who bore me, I gave birth
Let me take your gall, mummy, your tears
Let me take your rage, your melancholy
Let it burn me, let it drain me
Let it turn me into ashes, let it mix me with the earth
Sleep, my mother daughter
Sleep mother sun, mother earth
Let me die for you
Give you my blood
Give you my life
Let the sun set, let my heart rise
Pat your hands, mummy
On my chest, on my chest
Pat my breasts
Lulla-lullaby, my mother’s hands
Lay them in my heart, my mother’s hands
Let the vein sing in my neck
Lulla-lullaby to mummy
Lullaby to my mother’s breath
You aged in my lap, mummy
You crawled out of my lap
Let the mother sun rise, let me rise
Let me wrap my baby mother in black fleece
Let me go and thrust my hands into black water
Let bile and pus follow the blood I let
Let the water take away old age
Let the water take away death
I declare: I have adopted my mother
I gave my mother birth