Victoria and Harriet: A Love Story
Mother's Day 2019

I will never know how you really felt about one another.
I have only memories of snarky comments
About your smoking
About her distance
About your taste in clothes
About her irrational love of shoes and handbags
But what I do know
is that without her
there would be no you
there would be no me
there would be no daughters o' mine
one who you once both held in a picture
only weeks from her introduction
to this earth
you, with your goofy eyebrow side smile
she, not looking in the camera
but your shoulders almost touching
wearing complementary colors
with the little peanut human between you
human lineage of your lineage
I know she loved you
She fought to make a life for you as a single parent
in a day when that was just not done
I know you loved her
because you lost sleep when you thought she was unwell
I know I loved you both
Still love you
both
and miss you
Perhaps her independence and fire
While depriving you of a typical mother
While depriving us of a cookie-baking, cheek-pinching grandmother
Who instead of saying "Mangia, Mangia" said
"Have you been gaining weight?"
But that Chanel wrapped spitfire
Gave you the internal warmth that nursed our fevers
held our hands
sewed our costumes
loved us unconditionally
I hope reconciliation has happened in the spirit world
my mother and grandmother
for I will never really know how you felt about one another
but I know you loved me in your own way
so I could love my daughters in my own way
as they will love theirs
uniquely
part of a lineage
of loving
mothers.