I am... a mother

I am a mother 

Whose daughter is brave and strong 

Sometimes, but rarely, reproach 

Secretly slips out from behind her eyes. 

Who am I not to be judged? 

I am a mother 

Whose daughter is softness and steel 

She often speaks words so generous 

And kind, my heart stops beating 

How can she be this grand? 

I am a mother 

Whose daughter is quiet and scared 

Whispering in the dark night 

For me to comfort her ghosts. 

How can I fail to answer? 

I am a mother 

Whose daughter sees me growing old 

And yearns so desperately to stop 

The inevitable ticking of time. 

How can her wish not be mine?