This mother's day I'd like to share a poem that for me is a reminder on what the many wars and conflicts in the World inflict on mothers regardless of where they are in the world, what 'race', what religion and what political persuasion.
This poem celebrates the fact that mothers the world over share in their love for their children, and their sadness for losses of their lives when they are sacrificed in the alters of senseless wars and conflicts.
A MOTHER’S TEARS, WHAT FLAVORS DO THEY COME IN?
What flavors do a mother’s tears come in?
What about her heartbroken grief,
Her sobs and cries of pain and anguish,
The pain for a child lost that sears her soul,
For a child she nursed and cared for - for years.
What flavors do a mother’s tears come in?
A MOTHER’S TEARS, WHAT FLAVORS DO THEY COME IN?
Salty, I imagine is the taste of a mother’s tears,
As they gush from her soul through her eyes,
And the torrents of tears flow over her lips.
But is there a Moslem flavor, and a Christian one?
Is there a Shiite flavor and a Sunni one?
Is there a Hutu flavor and a Tutsi one?
Does her heartbroken grief at the loss of a child,
Her piercing wailing cries, come in different brands?
Does it feel differently? Does it hurt differently?
If she is Irish Catholic, or Irish Protestant?
If she is Hindu or Sikh; if she is rich or poor?
If she is Ethiopian or Eritrean; or white, black, brown or yellow?
Or Somali, Sudanese, or Yemeni?
If she is Iraqi or American; Palestinian or Israeli?
SNIP...
A MOTHER’S TEARS, WHAT FLAVORS DO THEY COME IN?
Let's join in remembering mothers the world over as we continue our campaign to promote peace over wars, and unity over divisions, and over 'wedge politics'.