Poems

Ode to Mother

Mother, you bore me for nine months in that hallowed space,

And caressed me with your virtual embrace.

My birth was met with joy and pain,

But the bundle you held in your hands

Made you wish to relive the experience again and again.

My burps and gurgles were music to your ears,

And my first step brought you to tears.

My toddler years had you in a state of frenzy

When I would take off to explore,

And you would search for me from door to door.

You sensed that I had an astute mind,

And from school to school you moved me—

In search of an institution

That would meet my mental constitution.

You worked long and hard to see me through my teenage years,

And I am proud to have proven to you

That you had only unwonted fears.

My university years were, for you, a most trying time,

As you watched me grow—

Your spindly kid had become a medical man in the know.

Your sharp wit and insightful mind

Have always been a compass to steer,

A tool I have turned to

When life’s obstacles raise their ugly head

And dangerous currents draw near.

Your strength, your courage, your temperance,

Your fortitude, your wisdom—I know—

Will always be remembered.

You are indeed the mom

Whose legacy will never lose its glow.

- Alverston Bailey

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Thank You, Mom

Thank you, Mom for being you,

Thank you for the things you do.

Making cocoa tea for me,

Putting up a Christmas tree.

Cooking all my favourite meals,

Ackee and Saltfish, Oxtail and Beans.

Thank you for the love you show,

Kindness and faithfulness at home.

Teaching me all about life,

Investing in me,

What a sacrifice!

Thank you, Mom for being you,

Thank you for the things you do.

- Kadecia Wilson

# # # 

Mother made me

I love you mother with endless love

My father was never there to hold my hand

To help me read and understand

Mother helped me calculate one plus one

She provided for me in the fiery sun and freezing rain

She smiled at us throughout the aches and pain

The tears landed on her face like a bomb on the earth

But I had a mother who knew my worth

Kindergarten was a breeze mother had it easy

Primary was mostly good but sometimes bad

Giving her last so that I could be present at class

In high school I could see the world through the

soles of mothers’ shoe when the cardboards were not in place

when the bucket dried our dinner was mother’s breakfast

she sold all she owned to make the train of hunger pass

She said poverty would not last, do your best in class

I tried hard to make her proud with every award I brought home

When college came mother’s sickness got ripe, stage 2… pain

Mother said if I could sell a kidney you would be at that place

God spoke and Dr. Anderson answered, thank you sir

Signed papers turned my droplets of water into wine, appreciate

For four years within the walls of CTC I studied and dined

On the 26th of April 2026 I graduated as a teacher, now I am fine

Mother made me when nothing was her portion

Blessed is a mother, I thank God for mine 

Appreciate their sacrifice, love them and cherish them

Appreciate them and value their worth

“A mother will always care but they will not always be here”

Make all the wrongs right while you still have time.

Patree Gouldbourne-Haynes