COLLECTION OF POETRY FOR MY

MOTHER

By Katie

DEDICATIONDear Mom,

I’ve put together a collection of poetry to give you appreciation

for all that you’ve done. Thank you for your patience, your

resilience, your humor, and your love and care for me and my

siblings. Thank you for the late nights of movies and

conversation. Thank you for all of the laundry that you’ve done

and the countless meals you’ve cooked. Thank you for the times

you’ve patiently stood outside the dressing room in the clothing

store and waited for me. Thank you for everything you’ve done.

Life is a stream

On which we strew

Petal by petal the flower

of our heart;

The end lost in dream,

They float past our view,

We only watch their glad,

early start.

“PETALS” BY A M Y L O W E L L

Freighted with hope,

Crimsoned with joy,

We scatter the leaves of

our opening rose;

Their widening scope,

Their distant employ,

We never shall know. And the

stream as it flows

Sweeps them away,

Each one is gone

Ever beyond into infinite ways.

We alone stay

While years hurry on,

The flower fared forth, though

its fragrance still stays.

(CONTINUED)

EXPLICATION

“Petals” was written by Amy Lowell and published in 1912 in “A Dome of

Many-Coloured Glass.” The poem is about a comparison between dreams and

flower petals. The author starts out by talking about how flower petals that

float down a stream are like our dreams and the stream is like our lives. The

speaker talks about how the flower of our heart floats past what we can see,

or our view. This can be interpreted as our dreams floating past us as our

lives move on. As the poem progresses, the tone becomes sadder because it

talks about how we lose our petals. It talks about how we are happy at first,

but then we become sad as we lose our petals. In other words, the poem is

saying that we become discouraged when we lose our dreams.

The poem says that they are gone “ever beyond into infinite

ways.” There is a sort of finality in these words. It means that

they are gone forever and are beyond our reach. After these

verses, the poem says that “We alone stay while years hurry

on.” It means that we are still here even though our dreams

have floated past us. The last verse says that “The flower fared

forth, though its fragrance still stays.” In this poem, the flower

was our dream and the fragrance of it was the lingering

memory of our dreams.

The rhyme scheme of this poem started out as ABCABC. The

rhyme changes in the seventh line to DEFDEF. The words

change in the third group of verses to GHIGHI, but still have

the same rhyming pattern. The imagery was very good

because the words were descriptive and painted a picture of

the comparison between flower petals and streams and life

and dreams. The symbolism was also excellent because of the

strong symbolic relationship between the different things.

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no

crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on

the floor—

Bare.

MOTHER TO SON BY L A N G S T O N H U G H E S

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in

the dark

Where there ain’t been no

light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder

hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no

crystal stair.

(CONTINUED)

EXPLICATION

The poem “Mother to Son” was written by Langston Hughes. The speaker in the

poem is a mother, and she is talking to her son. The theme of the poem is that life

isn’t easy. The speaker says that “life ain’t been no crystal stair.” She is

comparing her life to something that is crystal because it is something that is

perfect; whereas, her life has been far from perfect. This particular line was

introduced as the second line and is placed at the end of the poem as the last

line. The speaker talks about how her life has had tacks and splinters in it. This is

symbolic of how she has suffered hurts in her life. The mother also talks about

how there have been places where the boards have been torn up. This is an

indication that there have been some especially hard times in her life where

there weren’t even any floor boards to walk across.

The speaker says she has still been climbing up the whole time, despite her

circumstances. She says that she has been “reachin’ landin’s” and “turnin’

corners.” She is telling her son that she has had some progress in her life,

despite her problems. “Turnin’ corners” is a reference to this. The speaker then

urges her son to never turn back. She is telling him to be strong and do what he

has resolved to do. The mother also tells her son not to sit down on the steps of

life and give up.

The poem is also unique because of the language that it uses. It uses the kind

of language that the mother uses when she speaks to her son. There wasn’t any

particular rhythm or rhyme scheme in the poem. Instead, descriptive images

and evocative words were used.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

“THE ROAD NOT TAKEN” BY R O B E RT F R O S T

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better

claim

Because it was grassy and wanted

wear,

Though as for that the passing

there

Had worn them really about the

same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden

black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to

way

I doubted if I should ever come

back.

(CONTINUED)

I shall be telling this

with a sigh

Somewhere ages and

ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a

wood, and I,

I took the one less

traveled by,

And that has made all

the difference.

EXPLICATION

“The Road Not Taken” was written by Robert Frost. The speaker in

the poem is the author and he talks about a decision that needs to be

made. The author tells the story of how he needs to make this decision.

He talks about two separate paths and how he has to choose one of

them. Both of the ways are equal to each other because they are both

worn the same, yet they both are also covered with leaves. At first, the

speaker says that one of them looks “grassy and wanted wear.” It gives

the impression that this a path or decision that hasn’t been taken as

much. The speaker is conflicted, and is not sure which path to travel.

In the poem, the reference to the poems is symbolic of the paths and decisions

in life that we have to choose. Like the speaker in the poem, we sometimes

can’t decide. The paths and the decisions that they symbolize are the themes in

this particular poem.

The rhyme scheme in “The Road Not Taken” is ABAAB. The rhyme in the

poem is strong and fits it nicely. The speaker does end up choosing one of the

paths. Although, at the same time, he is telling himself that he will take the

other path on a different day. The speaker then went on to say that he does not

think that he would ever go down that other path that he is talking about. In the

end, the speaker says that he will tell people that he took the road that was

less-traveled.

Nature the gentlest mother

is,

Impatient of no child,

The feeblest or the

waywardest.

Her admonition mild

In forest and the hill

By traveller be heard,

Restraining rampant

squirrel

Or too impetuous bird.

NATURE-THE GENTLEST MOTHER BY EMILY DICKINSON

How fair her conversation

A summer afternoon,

Her household her assembly;

And when the sun go down,

Her voice among the aisles

Incite the timid prayer

Of the minutest cricket,

The most unworthy flower.

When all the children sleep,

She turns as long away

As will suffice to light her

lamps,

Then bending from the sky

(CONTINUED)

With infinite affection

An infiniter care,

Her golden finger on her

lip,

Wills silence

everywhere.

EXPLICATION

The poem “Nature – the Gentlest Mother is” was written by

Emily Dickinson. It was published posthumously in the year 1886.

The poem talks about how all of the living things in nature are

taken care of by nature itself. The poem is using “Mother Nature”

to allude to the love of a real mother. In the first stanza, the poem

talks about how nature is patient with all of her children; even

the most awkward and wayward ones. The main theme of this

poem is nurture. In the same way, human mothers are also gentle

and patient with their children.

The author of this poem makes good use of imagery. The most obvious use

of imagery is the line “Nature – the Gentlest Mother is.” It is comparing the

Mother Nature in the poem with her caring ways to the fashion in which

human mothers can act towards their offspring. A lot of personification is

used in this poem because of the many human traits that are given to nature.

The line “Her Household, Her Assembly” is another example of imagery in

the poem. These lines could be referring to everything in the earth as a part

of the household or assembly. Members of this household could include

plants or animals. The poem’s tone is positive because it is about love and

caring.

The first two lines of the last stanza talk about

“infinite affection” and “infiniter care.” It is no

mistake that the poem uses a word “infinite” to

express how much the mother loves and cares for

her children. The speaker is using these words and

personifications to give a picture of just how much a

mother loves her children.

Lord Jesus, Thou hast known

A mother's love and tender

care:

And Thou wilt hear, while for

my own

Mother most dear I make this

birthday prayer.

A PRAYER FOR A MOTHER ’S B IRTHDAY BY HENRY VAN DYKE

Protect her life, I pray,

Who gave the gift of life to

me;

And may she know, from day

to day,

The deepening glow of Life

that comes from Thee.

As once upon her breast

Fearless and well content I lay,

So let her heart, on Thee at rest,

Feel fears depart and troubles fade away.

Her every wish fulfill;

And even if Thou must refuse

In anything, let Thy wise will

A comfort bring such as kind mothers

use.

(CONTINUED)

Ah, hold her by the hand,

As once her hand held mine;

And though she may not understand

Life's winding way, lead her in peace

divine.

I cannot pay my debt

For all the love that she has given;

But Thou, love's Lord, wilt not forget

Her due reward,--bless her in earth

and heaven.

EXPLICATION

“A Prayer for a Mother’s Birthday” is a beautiful prayer written in first person.

The author is the speaker in this poem. He is essentially praying a prayer of

blessing over his mother’s life because it is her birthday.

There are several deep meanings and references in this poem. The author

prays a prayer of protection over his mother in the first line of the second

stanza of the poem. He prays this prayer of protection over her life because of

the gift of life that she gave to him. A deeper and spiritual meaning is explored

in the second and third lines of the second stanza when the speaker prays that

she may know “The deepening glow of life that comes from thee.” He is praying

that she will experience the life that is given to her because of Christ.

In the third stanza, the author talks about how he once rested

contentedly upon his mother. He prays that her heart will rest in

Jesus and be content and fearless as he was when his mother held

him. In the fifth stanza, the speaker goes on to pray that her hand

will be held as his hand was when she held it. The imagery in this

poem was very good because it helped me to paint a picture in my

head of the things that were mentioned in this prayer. The rhyme

scheme for the poem was ABAB for all of the stanzas except the

last one.

Part 2:

My Poems and Dedications

ODE TO RAIN AND MEMORIES

The rain is gently falling,

Its drops bring life and healing

The warm drops massage my tired body and bring back feeling,

I used to stand there and feel the rain until I heard my mother

calling,

I didn’t want to leave, so I’d stand there stalling.

As a child, the rain was so very appealing

After it was done, the sun shone with a rainbow revealing

Those days are so worth recalling.

We were just little children in those days,

Oh, how we loved to dream of foreign lands and

places,

We’d have fun playing in the rain or soaking up the

sun’s rays,

Then we’d set a goal and run races

In my memories, all that is good stays,

I will never forget our innocent and happy faces.

DEDICATION

I have included “Ode to Rain and Memories” because I thought

that you would enjoy reading this poem about how the other kids

and I used to play when we were little. Writing it brought back

the memory of running out in the rain and splashing around in

puddles until you called us in. Reading it probably reminds you of

what the younger kids do now; how they are the ones who do this

very thing. I included it in this collection because I thought that

you would enjoy both the memory of this and the way the poem is

structured.

HOPE

It is like a tiny spark,

It starts small, but grows bigger.

On us, it leaves its mark.

Soon it is a roaring, raging fire,

It cannot be put out.

It is what pushes us forward,

It is our shield and sword.

It is the weapon that helps us to fight,

When things seem like they’ll never be right

It is the wind in our sails,

It is what keeps our boats from turning over,

It saves us when all else fails.

It is small, but very mighty,

It is faraway, yet close.

It is hope.

DEDICATION

I have included the poem “Hope” in this collection because I

think that hope is a very important thing to have because it is

what keeps us going. I like how it can start out as a very small

spark and then grow into a flame. I also like how it can be a

shield and sword that will help us to fight. I have included this

poem because I thought that that you would appreciate the

different ideas of what hope is in my poem. I think that it is a

great reminder of what hope can do for us. I also thought that you

would enjoy the rhymes.

LITTLE SISTER

Little sister, I remember the day you were born,

You were just the cutest thing I’d ever seen,

A full head of beautiful curls,

Along with big brown eyes, intelligent and keen

Your cheeks were rosy,

And you were wrapped up in a soft blanket, snug and cozy.

In an awed voice, I asked if I could hold you,

You looked so tiny, so fragile, and so new.

I picked you up gently

You felt so very light,

But you were perfect and just right

And now I’ve had the honor of watching you grow,

The joy of watching you find your wings and fly,

Your smiles are worth more than anything money can buy,

And your laughter is the most joyous sound in the world

Oh, the fun that you’ve brought!

Little sis, you dance a lot, laugh a lot, and are loved a lot.

And in my heart, you will always have a special spot.

DEDICATION

I have included “Little Sister” because I thought that it was a

poem that you would enjoy. It is actually about my youngest

sisters. I was old enough to remember when they were born and

to remember hearing about it and what my reactions were. I

also remember going to visit them in the hospital and how I felt

when I held them. I thought that this was a poem that you

would enjoy because it is a nice poem that might bring back

sweet memories of holding them for the first time and what they

looked like.

Through it all,

You’re my mother,

Whether I’m happy, or not,

The times when I act like a

doll,

And the times I yell at my

brother

The patience you have can’t be

bought,

THROUGH IT ALL

You’ll put up with my

procrastinating,

Even when I stay up all

night

And then become cranky

because of my eyesight

Through it all, you’re my

mother.

DEDICATION

I wrote the poem “Through it All” because I

wanted you to know how appreciative I am of the

way that you are there for everything. I was inspired

to write it because of the way that you are there for

all of the things that happen. Whether I’m happy or

not. Even when I stay up all night. Thanks for all

your patience!

I know that you don’t have

time for yourself,

Because you’re always busy

You work hard enough to

make anyone dizzy

You wash and you fold,

You cook and you clean,

You make sure we’re not cold.

YOUR TIME

A harder-working mother

I’ve never seen

You’re strong and resilient,

You can’t be bent

You do everything for such

a large crew,

Thank you so much for

everything you do.

DEDICATION

I wrote this for you and included it because I

wanted to recognize you for all of your hard work

and selflessness. It is true that you are always busy

and work hard enough to make anyone dizzy. Thanks

for all of the many things that you have done and are

doing. Thanks for meals you have cooked and all of

the loads of laundry that you have stayed up to fold.

Thanks for all that you do!

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(CONTINUED)

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(CONTINUED)

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