Mothers Day

The Mothering Job

by Marian N. Kehrley

I watched my Mom fill out an application.

I looked at the line that asks about past professions.

I thought to myself, that space is too small.

To write down what she’s been, to cover it all.

She was a nurse when I fell and scraped my knee.

She was a maid when I didn’t wipe my feet.

She was a designer when my clothes didn’t match.

She was a tailor when my pants needed a patch.

She was a teacher when I asked a question.

She was a priest when I had a confession.

She was a psychiatrist when I came home crying.

She was a preacher when I got caught lying.

She was a singer when she sung me to sleep.

She was a lifeguard when she said the water’s too deep.

There are many more, yet the best one to me she

was a best friend and mine forever she’ll be.