The Best Thing I Did by Ron Padgett
The best thing I did
for my mother
was to outlive her
for which I deserve
no credit
though it makes me glad
that she didn’t have
to see me die
Like most people
(I suppose)
I feel I should
have done more
for her
Like what?
I wasn’t such a bad son
I would have wanted
to have loved her as much
as she loved me
but I couldn’t
I had a life a son of my own
a wife and my youth that kept going on
maybe too long
And now I love her more
and more
so that perhaps
when I die
our love will be the same
though I seriously doubt
my heart can ever be
as big as hers Art by Livia Fălcaru
Recommended listening: Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Links of the Day: The Village Invaded by Flowers Realistic Stone Animal Paintings by Akie Nakata
Laura Riding’s Extraordinary 1930 Letters to an 8-Year-Old Girl About Being Oneself