"Give me back the star maps of childhood"

Longing for and coming home to a mother.

Paul Gauguin, When Will You Marry? (1892)

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My Mother
by Mahmoud Darwish

I long for my mother’s bread
My mother’s coffee
Her touch
Childhood memories grow up in me
Day after day
I must be worth my life
At the hour of my death
Worth the tears of my mother.

And if I come back one day
Take me as a veil to your eyelashes
Cover my bones with the grass
Blessed by your footsteps
Bind us together
With a lock of your hair
With a thread that trails from the back of your dress
I might become immortal
Become a God
If I touch the depths of your heart.

If I come back
Use me as wood to feed your fire
As the clothesline on the roof of your house
Without your blessing
I am too weak to stand.

I am old
Give me back the star maps of childhood
So that I
Along with the swallows
Can chart the path
Back to your waiting nest.

Written when Mahmoud Darwish (1942-2008), Palestinian poet, was in jail for his political activism and unpermitted travels.

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Creative Invitations

1. Mother is a home like no other. How has home been seeking you out?

2. Write a letter to your mother(s) of choice and personally plant it on her/their palms. Express love and say grace.