For my mother

Through storms you’ve walked,

with scars that no one sees,

and yet you stand, head held high,

like the sun refusing to set.

You carried burdens heavier

than your own heart could bear,

but still you smiled,

as if the world had never broken you.

You are my compass,

my quiet strength,

the voice in my soul whispering,

“Keep going, my child.”

Every day, you give me hope—

hope that I can be more,

do more,

live a life worthy of the woman who raised me.

I am trying, Mama,

with every breath,

to make you proud

of the person I’m becoming.

And know this—

there is no question,

no shadow of doubt—

if the choice was between me and you,

I would choose you a thousand times over.

For my love for you is endless,

a thread stitched into my very being,

woven from gratitude,

sealed with unconditional devotion.

You are my hero,

my heart,

my forever reason why.