A Poem For Mama

I stare into the mirror,

my mother's reflection staring directly back at me.

Her past echoing within my frame,

her strength deeply planted in the soil of my roots,

her sass living on the edge of my tongue,

her voice residing in the hollows of my throat,

her wit dwelling in the crevices of my membrane,

her confidence radiating beautifully off my brown skin.

The sway of her walk is buried in the grooves of my hips,

her smile lives in the mountains of my cheek bones,

her pain rests upon the tops of my shoulders,

her independence reeks out of my pores,

her enormous heart beats passionately within my chest,

her love spreads intensely through my bones,

her grace circulates throughout my entire being.

The longer I look into the mirror,

the more her presence takes over; I can no longer see me.

But how could I not become the very woman who taught me what a woman is supposed to be.