A Mother: A Poem

I wrote this poem for Thou Art: The Beauty of Identity, a beautiful poetry chapbook produced by Studio Pause in Arlington, Virginia. 

A Mother

A mother, a maker
of laundry and burned toast,
late holiday cards
and bad haircuts,
secret wishes
under glow-in-the-dark stars.

A mother, a breaker
of cups and small toys,
promises and soft hearts--
theirs, because she is not
all they want her to be,
and hers, for the same reason.