A Mother’s Magic
09.25.09
Image Rights to deyedoctor
Caught juggling schedules, deadlines, work’s demands
She grabs the silken top hat, reaches in,
And winks to say, “Come, let the show begin!”
The hat reveals God’s work within her hands.
A nascent, mewling thing in need of care
Clay flesh and breath, and malleable bone
Then just a touch of magic, and it’s grown
What precious sleight of hand Magicians dare!
The audience, wide-eyed, looks on amazed
As from her phone-booth wardrobe she does fly
Her contrail: “Supermom!” across the sky.
She takes her bow, her encore – she’s unfazed.
Now look, the clock’s struck ten, she’s come undone -
Who said, “A woman’s work is never done”?
About the author: hjahangiri
Holly Jahangiri is the author of "Trockle." She’s an editor, a poet, and an avid book reader. Whenever she’s not writing, she’d be in the kitchen with William mixing up an appetizing treat, or she’d be listening to Katie’s adventures. J.J. would be waiting for her gourmet meals of course, not that he can’t cook, he is an Iron Chef in the family too. In an interview, I found out that instead of practicing law, she chose to have a life with her family. So it’s no secret that Holly’s favorite title, being a mom. There are no other words to express her love for her family. A braniac, an awesome friend, and a Supermom – that’s Holly. Thank you for gracing my blog with your lovely Sonnet.
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What a perfect illustration, Doc! “The hat reveals God’s work within her hands.” LOL – indeed.
Holly,
The classy magician’s hat turned into that after toiling from all the activities she had for the day. At least she’s still smiling. I ahve always wanted to make a sonnet, but that can wait. I will have to re-learn my syllables. he he he.
Thanks again for this guest post. I really appreciate it.
Z
what a fitting poem for the most noble profession in the world!
hats off to you Holly for this beautiful poem!
hats off to all mothers!
Roy,
Mother’s day may have already passed, but we can always celebrate mother’s day everyday. Holly portrayed what a modern mom does with only 24 hours. They deliver every time!
Cheers to all the moms out there. Speaking of moms, I wonder where are the other mom bloggers… hmmm.
Z
Sleeping after a long night, with any luck. No such luck HERE, but it’s Friday – maybe tomorrow.
I’ve been “uninvited” from my son’s camping trip (nicely, I should add, but I think he needs a “guy weekend” and a break from his nagging mom).
Holly,
Ahhh! Quality time with the guys. Drinking beer and talking about women. Yikes! I was thinking about the influenzabloggers. he he he.
Yeah! I could use that too, at least 10 hours of sleep and 2 hours siesta. That leaves me 12 more hours to more productive stuff. lol
Z
Hmm..it looks like you did some renovation here Doc. Very nice and clean.
Awesome work Holly! I’m really speechless..
I would just like to thank the Lord for blessing your family a “Supermom” like you. May the Lord bless your family more. May He also strengthen the bond and relationship of your family. God Bless!
Jed,
I forgot to switch it back last night pare. I was so sleepy he he he. Still trying to figure out which theme is best for the site. Now, my choices have slimmed.
Yup, Holly is indeed something isn’t she. I just hope to meet her younger sister
Z
hmmm, part of the whole are great,meaningful in a simples way.:)
now i want to know and read about the “trockle” by holly. nice piece holly.”)
Ever,
Oo pards, maganda nga basahin ang book na yun. Wala pa kasi dito sa Pinas kaya di ko pa nabibili. he he he.
Z
“instead of practicing law, she chose to have a life with her family.” ~~ that’s the magic of being a mother! I admire you Holly for that! Ü And I do believe that it is what really makes you happy!
Great poem, Holly! or may I say SuperMom! You’re magical, I thought of “Instead of practicing law, she’ll be cooking tripe.” (Madz) Just kidding!
Ciao!
[...] A Mother’s Magic [...]
@Roy thank you!
@Zorlone, I think the dishrag hat is just perfect – along with her grin. It symbolizes her role as “domestic goddess” while showing that she is humble enough to joke around, laugh heartily, and wear the lowly dishrag on her head. A true SuperMom needs no crown; she needs a truly useful dishrag! A sense of humor is what gets us through a difficult day.
You have yet to write a sonnet, but your haiku is better than mine. Most poets are known for writing the kind of poetry they are most comfortable writing, because that’s the form they’re most likely to master. Shakespeare was known for sonnets – but did he ever even attempt haiku? (I finally learned that most of the haiku I’ve written is more properly called “senryu” – but it’s all called “haiku” here. The nuances are largely lost on most teachers and students.)
“ Holly portrayed what a modern mom does with only 24 hours. They deliver every time!”
Reminds me of the lyrics, “I can bring home the bacon…fry it up in a pan…and never ever let you forget you’re a man…cause I’m a woman…”
@JeD Chan, how kind of you to say that! Thank you.
@ever, poetry has to pack meaning into every syllable. This one describes the kind of week I was having – well, it’s been several weeks, actually. And the reason I wasn’t around much, yesterday, is that it was “crunch time” at work, and by the time I was done, I just wanted a dinner I didn’t have to cook, a nice stiff drink, and a long night’s sleep. (“SuperMom” is not a saint. She has her limits and needs her sleep.) My husband got our son to the meeting place for his camp-out while I wrapped up everything at work, then he took me out for a nice dinner. I think I was dead to the world by 8:45 PM.
@Zorlone, you’re always so good about translating for me that I can only assume you said something you didn’t want me to understand…
Data point: I liked Vigilance enough that I upgraded to the Premium version. And then went and switched over to Arthemia. Oh well. But I do think Vigilance is cleanly coded and easy to work with. I like it a lot, and recommend it without reservations.
You’re such a sweetheart, Z – wish I had a younger sister to introduce you to.
@madz, I think I made the right decision for me. And I think you’re right, it has certainly contributed to my happiness. People always say things like, “You mean you could be making $300 an hour, but you’d rather be a writer?” They don’t realize that that kind of hourly fee is like Stephen King’s advances on royalties. Not all lawyers make ridiculously fantastic salaries. And those who do worked long, hard hours to get there. They probably loved every minute of it, and that’s the most important thing, right? You can’t put that much of yourself, your time, and your passion into something you don’t love, and be happy. So I may never be filthy rich, but I’m doing fine – and I have lots more time to spend with my family and to do other things I enjoy. It’s funny – quite humbling, really – to look down at this tiny creature you’ve given birth to and realize that nothing you can write, paint, or mold with your hands could ever surpass this miracle. Children are a precious gift. We can joke about SuperMom, but I think most of us mothers muddle through, do the best we can, and always – always – wonder if we could’ve done better. My mom used to ask, “Did I do the right thing, letting you…” or “Would you have been happier if I…” and I couldn’t even imagine how she could have doubts. But I’m sure the reassurance meant something to her.
@Jhong Medina, “…or inflicting other culinary ‘adventures’ on her unsuspecting family.” Hehehe… well, I want to raise kids who aren’t afraid to at least try things (provided they’re reasonably sure it won’t kill them). Apparently, I’m doing okay with that, because my daughter has tried skydiving (and that’s something I have no desire to ever try, myself – perhaps because my imagination is entirely too vivid and insists on playing out the final “splat!” as the chute fails to open… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZX2otX0Lo
he he he, Holly, that final splat always makes me shiver. But I would like to do sky diving, one of the things in my Bucket List.
You’re a supermom indeed. I salute you for that . I like what you said:
“You can’t put that much of yourself, your time, and your passion into something you don’t love, and be happy. So I may never be filthy rich, but I’m doing fine ..”
And that’s why, one should love her career, or it would be a daily hell for her. I once read something about loving your work and you’ll never work one day in your lifetime.
Of course, our 8-5 jobs could never be always heaven, but at least we have the passion to do our assigned tasks.
And you do both magnificently. Hurray for you- Supermom!
Hello Holly,
You’ve articulated perfectly the roles of mothers in this masterfully written poem of yours. Hurray! to all the mothers in the world.
I admire and respect your decision to choose family time over a profession that is all too life-consuming. I wish you all the best in your writing profession. I look forward to owning a copy of one of your books in the near future.
Tasha
@JenaIsle, some days are still work – a few, Hell – even when you love your job. But life’s far too short to spent MOST of it working at a job you hate.
@Tasha, thank you! I look forward to owning a copy of yours, as well.
[...] I have been largely absent this week, due to work. It’s been a busy, busy time. I think I managed to write and publish more guest posts on friends’ blogs than on my own! I was surprised to learn that I was the first guest author to appear on Dave Doolin’s Website in a Weekend, with Do-It-Yourself SEO Using Microsoft’s Bing Toolkit. And Doc Z refused to let me forget my creative side in the midst of mind-numbing deadlines that left little time for creativity, reminding me that I owed him a poem for his blog. It would have been easier to recycle something he and his readers hadn’t read, but I couldn’t do that to my friend, Z, so I wrote him a brand-new sonnet, A Mother’s Magic. [...]
No magician can ever trump a mother’s sleight of hand indeed. A street magician’s efforts look insignificant by comparison. And for her compassion and love and sacrifices every mother does live on long after she has passed away – in her children’s heart and the people who are lucky to have crossed her path. A true immortality if there’s such a state.
Off-topic: For whatever this is worth, this template looks better than the one you’re experimenting with. It holds so much drama and yes, magic. Just sayin. “,)
Off-topic with Jan: For what it’s worth, the blog looks about the same each time I come here, so I’m missing the “experiment.” But just a data point: I gave up the light text on a dark background because most readers hate it with a purple passion. I like it fine, but it’s NOT as readable as dark text on a high-contrast, light background. Just a fact. I got lots of “thank you” notes when I switched templates.
This is wonderful! I love moms (especially mine lol). And I do think moms are super – I grew up mostly with my mom as my dad is an expat working in the middle east.
ps. i love how you made this line: “As from her phone-booth wardrobe she does fly”
hehe!
I love the Superman reference. Im a Superman fan. haha!
Reyjr,
We all love our moms, I hope you tell your mom that. hehehe.
Up.. up… and away!
Z
Reyjr, you’re always catching my little subtle references.
I hate inverting words like “she does fly” but it worked on so many levels I did it anyway: the allusion to Superman, the quick-change artist switching clothes and roles in a tiny closet (phone booth), flying… and it fit the rhyme scheme, too! When the universe drops a gift in your lap, you don’t sit there going, “But ‘she does fly’? Really? Doesn’t that sound kind of…stilted? Archaic? I dunno…weird?” Heh.
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