Made

Mama said it will take time

I said time is what I didn’t have

She smiled

Little one, she said

Patting my head as I lay on her bosom

Hard work is like boiling water in a pot

It appears nothing is happening

Until suddenly you see the water bubbling

 

So I worked

Days were too short

Nights, a blur

Nothing blossomed

 

I paused in frustration

And cried to mama

She chuckled

Little one, don’t you see?

Feeling my rippling shoulders, she said

The results are in the journey

The fears you faced

The lives you’ve touched

The lessons you learned

I caressed her wrinkled face

Emboldened, I returned

 

I worked harder, but this time

Listening when others spoke

Questioning before judging

Living, not existing

 

I returned to mama

Carrying her in my arms

I told her of the lives I had touched

The wounds I had mended

The heartstrings I now held

She smiled, tears in her eyes

Little one, she said

You have made it

-NCF 2015