Mothering

You hold
these little souls
in the palms
of your hands
whispering to them
all that they could be
and all that you see
for them in this world
but these hands
the ones you hold them in
you soon discover
cannot close
they cannot wrap tight
to protect these little lives
instead
you are asked
to to hold them
these little souls
with open hands
exposed
and even so
we draw them close
and continue to whisper
our mother song