Ma

I see my Ma who, at the time,

Was a beautiful, young girl,

With eyes so big

And a frame so small,

You could confuse her with a doll.

I see a book in her hands

That was given to her as an award,

Recognizing some achievement of hers.

I also see her about to shake hands with a teacher. Standing right behind the two, outstretched hands

Is my Nana

Who was looking into the eyes of the teacher

And wearing a hint of a smile.

I could tell by his proximity to this exchange

That he was very proud of his daughter.

After all, she was her daddy’s little girl.

And finally, off to the side of my Nana is my Nanu.

With her, it’s hard to tell if she’s proud of my Ma.

My Nanu never showed much affection towards my Ma.

It was so little expressed that over the years,

It hurt my Ma.

I wish I could go back and tell my Ma:

“Although you’ll have to wait a very long time,

as you continue to be successful and do well throughout your life, you will one day hear from your Ma that she is proud of you. Although it’ll be a long wait, the wait will be worth it.