kahalala: Things My Mother Taught Me ? Firefly Creative Writing

বুধবার, ৭ মার্চ, ২০১২

My mother taught me how to thread a sewing machine,

bake cookies from the same recipe her mother used

(and to keep them in the freezer),

and fill the gas tank of my car.

My mother taught me to pay more

for quality,

but not for names,

and not to live beyond my means.

I learned Shakespeare, quite literally,

at my mother?s knee,

and she didn?t think I was too young

to read Atwood or Bronte

when everyone else was into Stephen King.

My mother taught me

not to fear the world ?

it?s a big exciting place,

and she passed on the lesson from her parents that

going away doesn?t mean you lose your place at home.

And she taught me to find the spaces

between extremes

where most people live

and the truth isn?t

black

white.

And when I was old enough to get it,

she told me the biggest secret of all ?

which I never would have guessed,

because she always seemed so steady:

she taught me that nobody has it all figured out,

and we?re all making up life as we go along,

so it?s better to do it

surrounded by the family you choose,

things you?ve made with your hands,

and words that speak truth to your heart.

kahalala