To The Uncertain Mom

Who thinks she is not mom because nobody calls her mummy.
Who thinks she is not mom because she hasn't gone through 9 months of pregnancy.
Who thinks she is not mom because the ones who would call her mummy are gone or not yet here.

You may not have carried life in your womb or nursed a baby at your breast but you have carried a baby and rocked it to sleep, stayed up at night to help with a sick, cranky child. You have said a prayer for a little one, you have … Happy mother’s day!

You cried as your body writhed, saddened by the premature separation from the life being formed within. You carried the lifeless body, stared at the undefined mass. Nobody knew. Everybody knew. Your body took form. There were whispers in the dormitory, the lecture theatre, the office corridors, the neighborhood. Now, there is no evidence except the scars marked on your heart, on your body, on your … Happy mothers’ day!

You spent days together, you spent years together but quickly and yet slowly, the air was sucked out of both of you when you laid that precious life…less. Friends, toddler mates, class mates, crib mates will never see again, even forget existence, but not you, the memory is fresh, it’s yesterday, it’s today, it’s now, it’s … Happy mothers’ day!

The time has not yet come, it’s already gone, it’s here, you wait, patiently impatient. Forces work for, against you; a soul mate, a medical condition, time, age, your body, you are still a mother. Happy mother’s day!


You have mentored, advised and shared what “mama always said…”. You have been to the desert and back with a hurting friend - your sleeve drenched with their tears. You wiped a snooty nose, kissed a boo boo, hugged a kid (they come in all sizes you know?!) especially when afraid, disappointed or plain ecstatic. Happy mother’s day!

Daughter, sister, girlfriend, whatever title you choose – here is a flower for each day of the week.