Maternal Love

The Oaks Residential Home, visiting my aunt

Lily sits in a high back chair
her vacant eyes stare into limbo
soft music plays in the background
her ears do not hear the notes
she has a pink scarf at her throat
hiding her wrinkled skin
on her chest her baby rests
snuggled in a shawl
a mother’s tenderness
can’t be mistaken
her thin fingers caress that child
with delicate slow movement
over and over again
and no one can prise that doll
from her even though
the lunch bell rings

Reviews

[Dylan Macadham]

A lovely sweet and sad piece, Chris, a captivating Scene and Glimpse ...reminiscent of My Aunt Lillian ('Lill'), lived to be 96, still had moments of clarity :)

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Dylan. Apologies for my late response. The outside world is taking over. All the best. read moreThank you Dylan. Apologies for my late response. The outside world is taking over. All the best.

Chris

[Grace Wolff]

I do not remember my mother's love and this just emphasized the way how I longed to be held. A beautiful and fragile vision of love that once must be put down because we all grow up one day. Great work.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Grace for stopping by. I am so sorry to hear that your experiences weren’t happy ones. Not every woman makes a good mother. Pleased though that you enjoyed this poem and recognized the fragile nature of its subject.

Chris

[Soren]

In this picture is a metaphor that goes far deeper that the literal. We are all called to dinner at some time and to not lay down something inorder to give ourselves sustenance depicts its value or to say that being called to dinner is being called home in a figurative sense says that even in that hour we refuse to let loose of that touch or love. In any sense that is maternal love

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks Soren for your valued comments. I will always remember Lily, she was broken in every way. Mind and body and yet her maternal instincts shone brightly. I was greatly moved by her.

Chris

[Shreya Dixit]

This very poem beautifully captures the essence of maternal love with vivid imagery. The image of the elderly woman lost in a world of her own yet tenderly caressing her doll is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you for stopping by and leaving such warm words Shreya. Happy new year.

Chris

[Shreya Dixit]

Happy new year to you as well !

[Beccy]

Touching a deep chord here. My Charlie is now eighteen, but the memory of holding his beautiful fragility in my arms has never faded, and never will.

Beccy.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Beccy. And n May those beautiful moments stay with you for all your days. All good wishes to you both.

Chris

[Kanwal]

Mothers are the best gifts given to us. The unconditional love they hold for their children is just priceless. Lots of love and prayer for every mother in the world.

[Chris Shaw]

Many thanks for stopping by and leaving a warm review. Your words very much appreciated.
read moreMany thanks for stopping by and leaving a warm review. Your words very much appreciated.

Chris

[kudakwashe J Ziunye]

Mothers are pillars of humanity.All heavy burdens or life greatly rests upon their shoulders.Through your poem you remind man of what.we often forget..A mothers tenderness cannt be mistaken indeed...Great writting.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for your appreciation of my words. Pleased you stopped by. All the best.

Chris

[Martiya Daman]

This poem beautifully captures the poignant moment of a motherly tenderness that transcends reality and time. Lily's unwavering bond with the doll symbolizes an enduring love that is unbroken by age, circumstance, or even the world around her. The delicate descriptions—her vacant stare, the soft music unheard, and her thin fingers—paint a vivid image of both fragility and resilience.

The poem subtly evokes themes of memory, loss, and attachment, leaving readers with a tender ache for Lily's world. The last lines about the lunch bell add a quiet yet powerful emphasis on her unyielding connection to the child she holds dear. It’s deeply moving and delicately written, Chris.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for the in depth review you have left me. Delighted you have stopped by to read my work.

Chris

[red93]

Extremely moving Chris, with sympathy for 'Lily', but also a sense that she clings to her humanity even now. Exceptional ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much Tony for your encouragement. So much appreciated.

Chris

[Laz K.]

it seems that living just for oneself is no life at all, unless there's someone or something to care for. that's how we are built.

i liked this poem. it gets to the point fast, and has a sort of matter-of-fact tone combined with deep compassion that is there in the spaces between the lines from start to finish.

[Chris Shaw]

An exercise in observation. What a lot you can learn. Many thanks Laz. All the best.

Chris