Be Careful

and watch your back, my mother used to say

each time I stepped out the door, left her

for the airport and the long trip back home.

Now, I look over my shoulder, expecting

to find her there, leaning on her purple cane,

oxygen tube trailing as she inches forward.

Out of the 60,000 thoughts I will have today,

let this one live at the forefront of my mind:

Her love will never die. And out of the 600,000

words in English, let mother be the one that

I carry with me through the difficult hours,

like a stone to rub over and over, looking up 

into my rear-view mirror to see who or what

might be following me.

 

James Crews, The Weekly Pause October 4, 2024