I don’t come back often enough
and it’s been too long
since the last time
I sat beside her
and we talked

She doesn’t say much these days
but, she’s a good listener
and she’s patient
as I ramble on
in our familiar way

So here’s the latest news, Mum
about who’s doing what
to whom and why
and how things are
working out for me

Passersby catching my soliloquy
politely smile my way
and snatch fragments
of our one-voice
conversation

Mother doesn’t say much at all
not even when I caress
her faded image
one last time
before next Mother’s Day