Here is m y haiku for Patricia, my Mom, who surprises and amazes and teaches me every day.
Fragile and yet strong
Her heart grows for her children
Mom is love warrior
- @amygoyer
I tweeted out my haiku and put out a call for haiku about mothers via my Twitter and AARP's Twitter (using #haikumom) and my Facebook and AARP's Facebook, and was overwhelmed with the quality (and quantity) of the haiku I received! Here is just a sampling of them.
These writers illustrate the full life cycle of motherhood - some with humor, some with emotion; all with descriptive details that gave me a sense of their mothers.
I am newly born
She holds me against her soul
We are both content
- Carole Dee Stark
Her arms are open
As I rush towards her smile
How I love my Mom
- Kim Fitzwater-Van Nimwegen
Iced tea always there
Pink rose yellow daffodil
Mother's joys in life
- Nancy Payne Chowning
"In real life," Mom said,
"People don't eat corn in bed,"
Passing us an ear.
- Cindy Wood Bowen
Boundless energy
Eighty-one by grace of God
Pink lipstick always
- Peggy Bryant
Spit on a hanky
And words of encouragement
To clean up my life.
- @BradForenza
The one who loves you
Though you do not deserve it
And the love lives on
- Willy King
Cat lady momma
First six sons then twenty cats
Keeps giving her love
- Cindy Wood Bowen
My beautiful mom
With a loving and pure heart
Lord, make me like her!
- Ramona McClary
Learning to adjust
My Mom remains the same
Just in a different way
- Therese Fieler Lackey
Ninety-four years old
Strong and amazingly sweet
One to emulate
- Tommie Ruiz
My ma is long dead
This sounds bad but it is true
I still miss her borscht
- @geneweingarten
Whether their grief is fresh or long-standing, many writers honored their mothers who have passed.
Missing my mama
First Mother's Day without her
Her spirit lives on
- Christie Groves Hunt
Sparkling eyes warm smile
Courageous living and love
To the end. Cancer.
- @transitionswork
Love lives in our hearts
Mother to all, love to spare
Hot August sorrow
- Linda Reardon
She was a puzzle
Unfathomable at times
Miss her still today
- Kim Angle Warner
She is now long gone
Only, seems like yesterday
We talked about life
- Fran Phelan-Logue
T his writer has a final message for us all:
I am fifty-four
My Mom will be ninety-five
Each day is a gift.
- @IZ_Eastshore
Thank you all for submitting your haiku! They were all wonderful and it was a huge challenge to pick which poems to include - you are all so talented I loved each and every one!
If your haiku isn't included here, please post it in the comments section below or on Twitter: @amygoyer or @AARP, or on my Facebook page or AARP's Facebook page - and tell us how you celebrate Mother's Day! Here is one more haiku to get your started:
Daughters gather now
Savory moments with Mom
Off to the buffet!
- @amygoyer
Amy Goyer is AARP's Home & Family Expert; she splits her time between Washington, D.C. and Phoenix, Ariz. where she is caregiving for both of her parents who live with her - follow Amy on Twitter @amygoyer and on Facebook .
Image by iStock photo.
Also of Interest
- Call Your Mom! Wait, What Do You Mean You Already Did?
- How Turning 56 Was Different Than Turning 50
- Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being
See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more