December 10, 2024
This poem recognizes my Mom for always being present and supportive throughout my life.
_________________________
Her hand, holding my hand,
Tighter than I held hers,
With a tear in her eyes,
She kissed my forehead,
Then let go of my hand.
I watched all around me,
Hiding in her shadow,
Hoping I couldn’t be seen.
Her soft, assuring voice,
I found myself peeking,
Finally giving in,
I walked to her side.
We walked through the hallway,
Opened the inside door,
Then walked in and waited,
For an adult welcome.
From the very moment,
We walked through the door,
All the children’s stared,
At their new distraction.
I felt the children’s eyes,
Laser focused on me,
The new, shy, short, chubby,
Even introverted, kid.
After five long minutes,
This one pretty lady,
In a royal blue dress,
Who passed by a few times,
Welcomed my Mom and I.
With a friendly handshake,
Exchanged introductions,
Shared plenty of small talk.
Agreed that tomorrow,
Would become my first day.
With my Mom’s permission,
She reached out for my hand.
She took me on a tour,
Showing me her classroom.
Describing everything,
Down to the last detail.
She would stop here and there,
Then pointed out objects,
A few bookshelves for books,
A cubby for my lunch,
A drawer of supplies,
A few tables of stuff,
A noisy play area,
A quiet play area.
She explained everything.
From many classroom rules,
Different learning centers,
For reading and math groups,
Small group and team projects,
Everything fell in place.
By the end of our tour,
We returned to my Mom,
Excitedly, I shrieked,
“I am ready for school!”
With a wave and good-bye,
Mom and I headed home.
On the short drive home,
She reminded me of,
How I must follow rules.
Listen to directions,
Always to do my best,
Be nice to everyone,
Finally, learn plenty,
Go make friends and have fun!
Speaking silently now,
With the warmth of her touch,
She finished with three words,
Her saying “I love you!”
She was always present,
Holding on to my hand.
Tightly when needed to,
Trying to prevent fails,
Protecting from others.
Relaxed reluctantly,
Letting me make choices,
Setting me free to grow.
Proudly watched me, her son,
Find my way through life’s maze,
Without words, shared a kiss,
In turn, I mouthed, “I love you!”
When tomorrow arrived,
I was not so afraid.
Once we arrived at school,
My mother’s hand let go,
Releasing my own hand.
Without any delay,
I learned not to look back,
I raced to join my friends.
Playing their outdoor games.
Until the morning bell,
Announced school was starting,
We then raced back to class.
When the pretty lady,
In the royal blue dress,
Walked up to the chalkboard,
With her magical voice,
Hushed all our voices and
Stopped all activity.
We started with routine,
The Pledge of Allegiance,
Attendance and lunch counts.
She then reviewed briefly,
Today’s lessons, specials
Objectives and homework.
Today, after routines,
She made an announcement,
Warmly introducing,
A new student to class.
How little did I know,
I was the new student.
I tried to disappear,
But somehow, I couldn’t.
She then asked me to share,
A story about me.
Then students asked questions,
Which they learned about me.
What seemed like forever,
I finally finished.
Then the pretty lady,
In the royal blue dress,
This time without my hand,
Walked me back to my desk.
She taught nonstop today,
With a bit of this and
More of that, then topped off
With a bit of extra,
Just for the good measure,
Another day’s finished.
When the bell rang at three,
Telling us, class dismissed.
I raced into Mom’s arms,
Waiting for me to share,
All about my first day,
With all the lessons learned.
Seeing tears in her eyes,
I asked, “Why are you sad?”
With every breath, she sighs,
Watching how childhood,
Goes by so very quick.
She looked at him, smiled.
She reflects to my past,
Her once shy little boy,
Whom she once groomed and raised,
Remembering me as,
Just an average student,
Not athletically apt.
Quiet, shy, introvert,
Despite adversity,
I remained tenacious,
Even resilient,
Often kept to myself,
Or in small company.
As she watched me grow-up,
Her once shy little boy,
Sees my accomplishments.
Her eyes once again teared,
Overflowing with pride,
As she fondly recalls,
Many experiences,
All the firsts she witnessed,
Dates, honors, trips and more,
Then before she knew it,
High school graduation,
Then college and grad school.
In the blink of her eye,
She saw her little boy,
Now a man, all grown up.
With her eyes blurred from tears,
She just proudly smiled,
Watching what was a job,
Hit service milestones,
Became a blessed career,
Just over forty years.
Seeing her life’s investment,
Paying out dividends,
Towards tomorrow’s leaders.
Though I could teach classes,
Speak to a gathering group,
Make a presentation,
Engage an audience,
Yet, had a strong dislike,
Being in the limelight,
Center of attention.
With people praising me,
I’d much sooner hide or
Find the nearest escape,
Returning to my peace,
Finding balance and purpose.
My co-workers and guests,
Celebrated with me.
Some took the mic to share,
Others shared their own way,
Unforgettable tales,
Lessons learned, memories,
Happy tears and sad smiles.
I knew there'd be a time,
When I'm called to the front,
To take the mic and speak.
I wrote a script to read,
But I chose to ad-lib it.
Filled with my mother’s love.
I shared for all to hear,
With the words, “Thank you Mom!”
“I owe it all to you!”
She simply bowed her head,
As if she was humbled,
Whispering in my ear,
“You are my everything!”
Despite being a man,
I’ll always be a boy,
Who preferred to remain,
A social introvert.
It was then I realized,
By completing the loop,
My success was measured,
With my Mom by my side,
Sharing my own story,
Gaps filled with great teachers,
With my career mentors,
Filling left over voids.
Each working together,
Making a better me,
Then, I could ever do,
All alone, on my own.
I glance over to her,
See more tears in her eyes.
She proudly watched and heard,
As I, her son, a man,
Being celebrated,
And being recognized,
For my contributions,
In all I accomplished,
Within my career,
Forever cementing,
A lifetime legacy,
Not to be forgotten.
Tighter than I held hers,
With a tear in her eyes,
She kissed my forehead,
Then let go of my hand.
I watched all around me,
Hiding in her shadow,
Hoping I couldn’t be seen.
Her soft, assuring voice,
I found myself peeking,
Finally giving in,
I walked to her side.
We walked through the hallway,
Opened the inside door,
Then walked in and waited,
For an adult welcome.
From the very moment,
We walked through the door,
All the children’s stared,
At their new distraction.
I felt the children’s eyes,
Laser focused on me,
The new, shy, short, chubby,
Even introverted, kid.
After five long minutes,
This one pretty lady,
In a royal blue dress,
Who passed by a few times,
Welcomed my Mom and I.
With a friendly handshake,
Exchanged introductions,
Shared plenty of small talk.
Agreed that tomorrow,
Would become my first day.
With my Mom’s permission,
She reached out for my hand.
She took me on a tour,
Showing me her classroom.
Describing everything,
Down to the last detail.
She would stop here and there,
Then pointed out objects,
A few bookshelves for books,
A cubby for my lunch,
A drawer of supplies,
A few tables of stuff,
A noisy play area,
A quiet play area.
She explained everything.
From many classroom rules,
Different learning centers,
For reading and math groups,
Small group and team projects,
Everything fell in place.
By the end of our tour,
We returned to my Mom,
Excitedly, I shrieked,
“I am ready for school!”
With a wave and good-bye,
Mom and I headed home.
On the short drive home,
She reminded me of,
How I must follow rules.
Listen to directions,
Always to do my best,
Be nice to everyone,
Finally, learn plenty,
Go make friends and have fun!
Speaking silently now,
With the warmth of her touch,
She finished with three words,
Her saying “I love you!”
She was always present,
Holding on to my hand.
Tightly when needed to,
Trying to prevent fails,
Protecting from others.
Relaxed reluctantly,
Letting me make choices,
Setting me free to grow.
Proudly watched me, her son,
Find my way through life’s maze,
Without words, shared a kiss,
In turn, I mouthed, “I love you!”
When tomorrow arrived,
I was not so afraid.
Once we arrived at school,
My mother’s hand let go,
Releasing my own hand.
Without any delay,
I learned not to look back,
I raced to join my friends.
Playing their outdoor games.
Until the morning bell,
Announced school was starting,
We then raced back to class.
When the pretty lady,
In the royal blue dress,
Walked up to the chalkboard,
With her magical voice,
Hushed all our voices and
Stopped all activity.
We started with routine,
The Pledge of Allegiance,
Attendance and lunch counts.
She then reviewed briefly,
Today’s lessons, specials
Objectives and homework.
Today, after routines,
She made an announcement,
Warmly introducing,
A new student to class.
How little did I know,
I was the new student.
I tried to disappear,
But somehow, I couldn’t.
She then asked me to share,
A story about me.
Then students asked questions,
Which they learned about me.
What seemed like forever,
I finally finished.
Then the pretty lady,
In the royal blue dress,
This time without my hand,
Walked me back to my desk.
She taught nonstop today,
With a bit of this and
More of that, then topped off
With a bit of extra,
Just for the good measure,
Another day’s finished.
When the bell rang at three,
Telling us, class dismissed.
I raced into Mom’s arms,
Waiting for me to share,
All about my first day,
With all the lessons learned.
Seeing tears in her eyes,
I asked, “Why are you sad?”
With every breath, she sighs,
Watching how childhood,
Goes by so very quick.
She looked at him, smiled.
She reflects to my past,
Her once shy little boy,
Whom she once groomed and raised,
Remembering me as,
Just an average student,
Not athletically apt.
Quiet, shy, introvert,
Despite adversity,
I remained tenacious,
Even resilient,
Often kept to myself,
Or in small company.
As she watched me grow-up,
Her once shy little boy,
Sees my accomplishments.
Her eyes once again teared,
Overflowing with pride,
As she fondly recalls,
Many experiences,
All the firsts she witnessed,
Dates, honors, trips and more,
Then before she knew it,
High school graduation,
Then college and grad school.
In the blink of her eye,
She saw her little boy,
Now a man, all grown up.
With her eyes blurred from tears,
She just proudly smiled,
Watching what was a job,
Hit service milestones,
Became a blessed career,
Just over forty years.
Seeing her life’s investment,
Paying out dividends,
Towards tomorrow’s leaders.
Though I could teach classes,
Speak to a gathering group,
Make a presentation,
Engage an audience,
Yet, had a strong dislike,
Being in the limelight,
Center of attention.
With people praising me,
I’d much sooner hide or
Find the nearest escape,
Returning to my peace,
Finding balance and purpose.
My co-workers and guests,
Celebrated with me.
Some took the mic to share,
Others shared their own way,
Unforgettable tales,
Lessons learned, memories,
Happy tears and sad smiles.
I knew there'd be a time,
When I'm called to the front,
To take the mic and speak.
I wrote a script to read,
But I chose to ad-lib it.
Filled with my mother’s love.
I shared for all to hear,
With the words, “Thank you Mom!”
“I owe it all to you!”
She simply bowed her head,
As if she was humbled,
Whispering in my ear,
“You are my everything!”
Despite being a man,
I’ll always be a boy,
Who preferred to remain,
A social introvert.
It was then I realized,
By completing the loop,
My success was measured,
With my Mom by my side,
Sharing my own story,
Gaps filled with great teachers,
With my career mentors,
Filling left over voids.
Each working together,
Making a better me,
Then, I could ever do,
All alone, on my own.
I glance over to her,
See more tears in her eyes.
She proudly watched and heard,
As I, her son, a man,
Being celebrated,
And being recognized,
For my contributions,
In all I accomplished,
Within my career,
Forever cementing,
A lifetime legacy,
Not to be forgotten.
 |
My Mom, Elizabeth, President/CEO, Sheryl A Woods and myself
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