Maybe you, too, wash the same exact dishes you did two days before,
Hang up the same towel,
Sweep the same floor.
Maybe you wonder sometimes if anyone sees you at all;
Your presence like a ghost they pass through in the hall.
Giving your days over to so many whims,
You’ve made sure they are fed and clothed, you’ve driven, and signed things for them
And written in thousands of number sequence fields.
You are the Keeper of the Information,
The Everything Doer,
The Maker of Meals.
Maybe you used to be more vibrant, used to laugh more out-loud.
I once made art, and sang at the open mic nights here in town.
I used to spend peaceful days with my skin in the sun,
My feet propped on river rocks, just watching the water and
How it ran over them.
I have raised my girls with every bit of my energy,
Not really noticing that as I was raising them
I was lowering me.
Down
Down
Deep into a hidden well
Where my own cries
Were so distant
That no one could tell
And, sure, a well can be fine for a little while.
Say, maybe you like the cool against your tired body,
And the simple view of only the sky
Until you start missing the way it feels to stretch out a bit,
The grass under your feet,
A view of more than stones from where you sit
And so you start climbing, and you pull yourself out, and you take a deep breath,
And the whole earth cries out,
“We missed you! We love you! Where have you been?”
And you have to face that while,
Yes,
The well was there,
You’re the one who climbed in.
So you begin to clean yourself up,
The light might seem bright, and at first standing may be rough
But know the whole world around you will cheer at the sight,
Because while you were down there,
Nothing above ground felt right.
For each of us,
As we are,
Is here for more than simply stirring, folding, and reminding of things.
Our own light, our thoughts, our specific way to be…
Even the well longed to echo the songs that we sing.
The climb may be steep, and your hands may hurt from gripping, too,
But when you emerge,
The sweetest voice will greet you!
Warm and welcoming,
So glad you came home.
A voice like no other because
It will be your own.
Mom Outnumbered
Hi! My name is Kerri Green; Wife to Justin, and mother to four highly entertaining daughters -Alena, Chloe, Tessa, and Paige. I am an artist, a writer, a daycare provider, a lover of people, a believer that there is humor and beauty in all things, and the author of Mom Outnumbered; a blog about real family life, and my observations of it. My goal is to make people laugh, to be there for them when they cry, and most importantly, to let them know that they are not at all alone in this up and down world. I live with my family in Sebastopol California, and I am opening the window into our life. So welcome! Come in. Sit down. Just please don’t mind the mysterious wet spots.
