Mother Or Butterfly Poem by nadia abduljabbar

Your soul like a caterpillar,
Longed for long to fly,
Danced in the air;
Transformed into the form
Of an unseen butterfly.
……
Vanished before dawn
From everybody's sight,
In the haze of a cold Friday night,
You played one of your
Old tricks,
And left,
Without much pain,
Without saying goodbye.
……
Your weak and lame body,
Could never suppress
Your soul that was so high,
Wanting to walk,
Wanting to talk
Were all your wishes
For your modest self,
Before you walked out.
……
Yet your hopes for me
Were so high and kind;
Wanting me to surpass
Everything and every human kind.
……
Simple and so light in everything,
You led your humble life,
In eating, in dressing,
In talking, in joking,
As a mother and as a wife.
……
Strength was to you an attraction,
Like fire to a butterfly,
Once you see it,
You enhance it,
And paid for that your life.
……
The confidence I gained
From your words and eyes,
Was much deeper
Than any solid
Gain or prize.
……
Protection was there for me,
Out of love not owning;
Was the beautiful feeling
Of having someone
To support me, like a wall, from behind.


Makkah, Jan.
1998
(from myfirst bilingual book of poety: Women with Wings published in 2003)