Their toothy smiles

exude youth;

their laughter is too loud

for this carriage

but it’s glee breathes

like an orchestra.

The beauty of youth

blossom cheeks

is met by their mother’s

smile and nightingale patience.

She is rapt;

with her own creation –

memory of skin

stretched like a picnic

blanket in Spring.

Their laughter is too loud

for this carriage,

a chorus of the voices

she is teaching

to sing along

to life’s sweet heartache.

She is rapt;

each boyish gesture

reweaving the tapestry

once folded beneath

her heart, threads

of silk, of fear, of hope

and unforgiving promise.

Most beautiful of all

is her poise –

shoulders pulled taut,

never bowing like Atlas

as she nurtures

and tackles boys

and their toys,

boys will be boys,

indeed, the weight

of the world.

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Kristiana Reed juggles writing and teaching English; in both vocations she endeavours to remind people…