Like a Mother

 

Loving the world means loving the wobbles

along with the wonders:

the bad news trickled throughout the day,

the fog lifting off to reveal blue sky and warm sun,

the boat that ran aground yesterday in the harbour,

six people rescued, four in hospital,

and the green shoots poking up through the ground

with the promise of spring.

Loving the world means growing hearts big enough

to bear witness, encompass and advocate for change
(so much that needs fixing):
the heartbreak of cruelty to animals:

the man who killed his neighbour's beloved dog

for entering his yard; the terrible pain of factory farms;

the accelerating climate crisis, with so many humans

and animals suffering; refugees in tents in wintertime,

hungry children without beds, without books.

It's hard to find the words, sometimes.

Let me love the world like a mother,

accepting the bad with the good,

always hoping for better, trusting the good

will outweigh the bad, even when 

it feels like the opposite is true.

Let me love the world like a mother,

for all of its wonders, even though

there are so many days
when it's

breaking my heart.

Inspired by "Rain, on New Year's Eve" by Maggie Smith. The italicized words are hers.

shared with earthweal's open link.