Poetic sentiments for Mom

Mother?s Day is this Sunday (Surprise!), and I?ve been perplexed as to what gift I should give Mom. A card, of course, is nonnegotiable; it?s a token of appreciation that says, ?I care about you enough to spend at least a few minutes in the card aisle sifting through mounds of glitter and butterflies.?

But what about the gift? What can a guy give back to the woman who provided him with life, taught him to walk, nursed him to health, prepared thousands of meals and?you can?t deny it?wiped his tukas?

The answer isn?t simple. I?ve had several thoughtful ideas, but then I imagine what would be printed on the accompanying card if it said what that gift might actually communicate. For example….

A bouquet of fresh flowers seems like a sure bet. But then she opens the card:

This Mother?s Day I honor you

With flowers fragrant, bright and true.

But in short time they?ll wilt away,

To which the sentiments decay.

So here?s the bright side, just in case:

You?ll always have this chintzy vase.

The next logical idea is to go with a live plant. Perhaps a pot of flowers or a leafy green fern she can put on her porch. Just tuck the card with the foliage:

Now that I?ve grown

And left the nest

There?s time for you and Dad to rest.

No more stress,

Just relaxation;

You lounge in a carefree vacation!

So here?s a plant

With needs to meet.

Water, sunlight, space and peat.

You?re not done?

Oh, no!-??cause I?ve

Given one more thing to keep alive.

So maybe we should avoid the garden section altogether when shopping for Mom. How about a loving action? Breakfast in bed is a Mother?s Day tradition. And the card propped on the serving tray goes like this:

It?s six! It?s five! Maybe even four

When we come creeping through your door.

It?s early, sure, but who needs rest

With toaster waffles on your chest?

The cereal?s mushy, the eggs are runny,

The name-brand juice is hardly Sunny.

You tried the toast?Great! Now you?re fed!

Enjoy the crumbs inside your bed.

What Mom might enjoy more is a day where she doesn?t have to lift a finger. You could dust, vacuum, do the dishes and fold the laundry. Then at the end of the day, let Hallmark say the rest:

You say you do more

Than my assigned chore.

I think it?s a bore,

But I?ll challenge that lore.

I scrubbed every pore

From the roof to the floor.

Today I evened the score

For the other 364.

If all else fails, maybe jewelry and a box of chocolates are the best route to take when honoring Mom. Sometimes the simplest of things can communicate the most:

Love is patient and love is kind,

It gives its all in good times and dullness.

In a mother, a child will find

That love so rich in care and fullness.

Because you fill my heart, and over,

Sparing my life from harm and pandemonia,

I honor you with this Russell Stover

And a gold-plated necklace with cubic zirconia.

Then again, maybe the best gift you can give Mom on Mother?s Day is you. But by now she?s probably wondering if she can get an exchange if she can find the receipt you came with.

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