Poem by Gregg Hammond
Poem read by Deb Matthews-Zott
Piano by Jeris (VJ Memes)
Gulls by crk365 Freesound
Ocean waves by rmutt Freesound


MOTHER

We walked upon the sand and
You walked carefully,
Taking my arm as we
Watched the patterns made by surfers,
Their tiny black insect forms
Dotted against white sheets of foam
That stretched out to the water’s edge.

You sat on the wooden barrier
As I continued my walk
And I wondered why time had brought us here and
What slow movements really mean.
My head is filled with names and places
And I span the decades
I have collected memories like precious toys
And I love the sea….

….Mother,
You were there when I
Stopped my bike and peered
Across the garden to our back door:
There you stood, smiling,
Arm raised in waving position,
Horsham’s happier looking version
Of the Statue of Liberty.

And when I saw you there
I knew that bricks and stones and
Signs of life
The road ahead
Would throw my way
Could not remove that smile
Nor make my resolution falter.

For these were days
When warmth and darkness mattered
These were days
When hunger was assuaged
These were days
When frost and fire
Transformed the sound of music
These were days
Of innocence
We dared to understand.

Gregg Hammond