To My Mother

Through the windows of her photographs,

I feel most near to the adventures of her life.

Derring-do and mad-cap travels, Jenny’s to Mach-I

Oberlin to the tamed, warm west.

Martini in one hand, arguing politics like Senator Clay,

but quietly raising a family, cementing a business.

She was the freeway of our family

with entrances to dozens of hearts around the world.

But for all the fortune she has amassed in memories,

there is no slow-down in her step toward

self-fulfillment and the health & welfare of family,

and so I send my heartfelt gratitude

for her constant enrichment of my life.