By Cynthia Aralu

Hi everyone! Pray the Rosary.

I was in church before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I talked to her like I usually do whenever I stop by. I got the thought to write down some of the things I said to her, as best as I can remember, and it reads like a poem. Here it is:

“Hey Mom“

Hey mom,

Isn’t it crazy,

How we are all brothers and sisters, 

All gathered under one roof to worship God,

But we are more strangers over being family?

We are all God’s children,

having One Father,

Yet hardly anyone’s gaze envelopes you with warmth,

Hardly anyone’s smile catches you in theirs. 

But I am just the same, aren’t I?

It is so instinctual;

This awkwardness. 

…Mom, did you catch that?

That soft swivel of my head to avoid any misunderstanding,

That my gaze was vastly cool,

That it gave the sense that this brief meeting of eyes,

was nothing more than a coincidence,

nothing more than a watchfulness,

the result of her sudden appearance in my eye’s direction.

I suppose I could have smiled at her,

But I didn’t want her to think me weird.

Hey mom,

How is it that we are more strangers than family?

I had to re-write this poem because of the feedback I got from my younger brother. I took it because ultimately, I want this to read better. But I must say, I teared up when I saw his suggestions. I felt like a horrible writer who could not think of “his refinements”, and I wondered if I could really call this poem mine. Well, it is a learning process, and I will be better next time. Besides, I do not mind sharing this poem with him. I always say he is the better writer.

Thank you for reading today’s post. Remember to like this post and share it with your friends if you enjoyed it. Follow me on my blog, Katmira’s blog or my podcast, Amara’s Musings, to receive notifications whenever I have a new post. You can also subscribe below to get an email notification whenever a new post is out. This is particularly helpful if you don’t have a WordPress account.

Pray the Rosary. Let it be, until we meet again or “Ka ọ dị” as it is said in Igbo.