☀️ Staying Power #176: "Look It Up"

An original poem-in-progress

Published on occasional Sundays, Staying Power is one of the newsletters of The Raft, the online community of author Phyllis Cole-Dai. We Rafters ride the river of life buoyed by music, poetry, and other arts, along with open spiritual practice. Most everything here is free, but patrons (paid subscribers) get some special perks because Phyllis is extra grateful for their support.  Sign up here:

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LOOK IT UP

	     for my son

In our family
dictionary,
momming 
is defined
as my
worrying
unnecessarily
about you
now
because 
I worried
about you
necessarily
back then
when
much of
my life was
getting you
safely
where
you needed 
to go
by the time
you needed
to get there
with everything 
you needed
to get there with.

On etymology:
Momming
derives from
mama,
the first
name you ever
called me by.
Or maybe
from ma
in baby talk.
The origin
of all these
words
is love.

Momming
is spelled with
seven letters,
just like nagging, 
but it lives
more happily
on the page,
somewhere between
moment and monitor.
It has two syllables.
The stress
falls on 
mom.

The meaning
of momming
is still evolving.
Some dads mom,
some friends too.
Nowadays, even you.
Go right ahead.
Mom me good.
Then practice
how to not.

This family
dictionary's
more than
just words.
Illustrations
enhance 
the definitions.
See the picture
next to momming—
two birds
hovering near
the loving nest,
wings beating
and fussing
the unworried air?

The Gentle Nudge

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