Dear Mother

By Amanda Reid, 15, Illinois

Dear Mother,

You pushed me to do stuff I didn’t know I could do,

Believing in me when no one else did,

Always having faith and never giving up on me,

And Mother you are the reason I am here today.

You signed me up for softball when I was only 5,

And I played until I was 11 because it wasn’t for me.

Then you signed me up for soccer when I was 8,

Even when we found out I have epilepsy.

You didn’t let me quit or give up my soccer dream,

And I still play now as I am 15.

You come to my games, always cheering me on. 

You always want me to score, but I always do you wrong.

I know one day I will make soccer my thing; just trust and believe I will.

I don’t know what it’s like taking care of three kids as a single mom,

But I do know one thing that is true,

You never let me down,

You came to my band concerts,

My soccer games,

My softball games,

My school events.

You were the one that had my back when no one else did,

Even when the closest person to me passed away, you always made sure their spirit never went away.

What I’m trying to say is,

Mother you pushed me to do stuff I didn’t know I could do,

And I love you until the end.

---

Growing up, I had a hard time and so did my mother, so I wanted to make a poem for her. I struggled fitting in at a lot of schools, but not now because I have discovered my voice through poems.

Photo by Krzysztof Kowalik