Mothers' Day

                        Oh, mother 0' mine, I was far away

In a town with only a train a day

On Mothers' Day, so I could not get

To where my arms could embrace you. Yet

You know I thought of you, all day long;

And the days of boyhood, the days of song,

The days of play, and the romp and run

From morning's light till the day was done

Almost came back to me, out so far

From the clamor and jostle and heat and jar

Of the mighty city; and with them you

Crooned a lullabye, as you used to do

When the sun went down and the stars blinked out

And I clambered up on your knees, apout

For a mother-kiss, and I thought of times

We had known toged1er, and romps and climbs;

And I thought of falls on the stones and dirt,

And of mother-kisses which healed each hurt;

And I sought a rose and I found one, white

As a mother's love, and I pinned it right

Above the heart of the little chap

Who used to snuggle into your lap;

The little chap who has grown so old

And is out so far in a world that's cold,

Just a little bit, in a careless way;

But it was not chilly on Mothers' Day;

It was filled and brimming so full of love

That I know the best of it reached above,

And rippled sweetly about the throne

Where the Omnipotent sits alone;

And all the mothers in Paradise

Were glad; and softly to Mary's eyes

The eyes of Jesus were turned, and then

He turned away, and He looked again

At the world of men; and she softly drew

His hands to her, and she kissed them, too;

Those dear, dear hands, where the spikes had hurt,

Which had clung in babyhood to her skirt;

And heaven vanished a moment then-

They were just a mother and babe again,

In the gray old world, and were glad to be!

And He was snuggled against her knee;

And Jesus whispered, and turned to smile:

" Just the mother-loving made it worth while!"

 

Poems for Declamation Table of Content