Ode
So childlike! So womanly! So motherly!
Your eyes show you have lived - what if unhappily;
There will be days, there will be times when courage
Might seem to lose its meaning. Take heed, gentle heart!
The likes of you will not be born so often; revere
Yourself, your higher goal – let your children return
A noble smile upon their mother’s face. And tears –
Who would stop them! Let them create the stream of life
Which carries joy and sorrow, side by side, to end
In one eternal ocean, which we all shall share.
Much joy is to be born of your courageous life;
Be glad that pain inspires the love of life in you.
