love, the bond that ties...

did you know my mother? 

by mary lynn

Did you know my mother?

I'm told her name was Belle.

I don't know what she looked like

but have memories of her smell.

Did you ever hear my mother?

Did her cries pull at your heart?

I remember them quite clearly

when the men pulled us apart.

Did you drink from my mother?

Did you ever taste her milk?

Did you feel her face against yours?

Was her skin as soft as silk?

I've been told I had two brothers,

and my sister's numbered four,

Then my mother went to slaughter

of no value anymore.

Were you there with my mother?

Did you look into her eyes?

Did you see the fear within them?

Did you listen to her cries?

And now MY end is coming,

I am waiting with my friends,

We are huddled close together

In this place where all life ends.

Will you be there at our slaughter?

For the flesh you want to eat.

Will you ever think about us?

When you buy that piece of meat.

It’s my turn now, I’m moving,

I am going to my end.

I am urged with shouts and kicking

and with sticks that never bend.

I am thinking of my mother

and remembering her smell.

And I know we'll meet in Heaven

and forget this life called Hell.

Weronika Kolinska has created some stunning black and white artwork reproducing this poem graphically which adds even more poignancy if that's possible...

and this is the perfect post to share this video of a reunion between a mother and her child - beautiful - it's something no mother or child should ever have to experience, they should never be forcibly separated... you can read more on the background to this heart-rending/heart-warming story "Crying Mother Cow Greets Lost Baby In Breathtaking Reunion"