A post dedicated to the parent who actually raised me, and I like to think instilled some nifty qualities in yours truly, is long overdue. And in this case, it’s also belated in the immediate time-frame, as this is for her birthday, which was last week (Feb 8, for those who want to remember and other birthday nuts…)
Befitting the name and theme of this here blog I begin this post with a poem.
This was the featured poem on Garrison Kielor’s “The Writer’s Almanac” last Friday, Feb 11th, and it seems ideal for this occasion. Please visit the Writer’s Almanac as it rocks and is a force of good. Following the poem is my birthday gift to my excellent mother: pictures of some, if not THE most stunning libraries in the world and a link to the book that only costs $7500 showcasing these photos.
Annnnyhoo…the poem:
by Ron Padgett
The best thing I did
for my mother
was to outlive her
for which I deserve
no credit
though it makes me glad
that she didn’t have
to see me die
Like most people
(I suppose)
I feel I should
have done more
for her
Like what?
I wasn’t such a bad son
I would have wanted
to have loved her as much
as she loved me
but I couldn’t
I had a life a son of my own
a wife and my youth that kept going on
maybe too long
And now I love her more
and more
so that perhaps
when I die
our love will be the same
though I seriously doubt
my heart can ever be
as big as hers
“The Best Thing I Did” by Ron Padgett, from How Long. © Coffee House Press, 2011.
