I'm Enough - a Mother's Day Poem

May 10, 2019 / audra mulkern

I'm a mom.
Most days I fall flat on my face.

My hands are clenched,
not giving enough.
not enough patience.
not enough hugs.

I'm a mom.
I'm not a soccer mom,
not a Pinterest mom,

I forget to schedule doctor appointments and haircuts.
I'm not sure I'm teaching them enough.

I’m a mom, a farm mom.

Their hair is messy,
their clothes don't fit right.
Some days I don't dress
them appropriately for
unpredictable Iowa weather.

I’m a mom, a farm mom.

Despite all my falling flat,
I go to bed at night knowing their lives are great.
They are experiencing what many children aren't.
They've learned about death,
because that's part of life on a farm.

We may bury a chick in the flower bed.
Or haul a pig carcass to the compost pile.

I’m a mom, a farm mom.

They know about good food.
Their palate appreciates it.
They knew how to forage for berries
before they could even walk.
They could reach their little hands
in the bramble unafraid of the pricks.

I’m a mom, a farm mom,
raising Iowan farm kids,
brave and unkempt.