That Woman
That woman was like no other.
She was nurturer, soother, teacher,
supporter, defender, and sustainer.
Loving memories of her never fade.
She gave all that she had without
hesitation, and it was more than
I needed to make my way in life
and far more than I deserved.
That woman was not prepared for
death like an ancient Egyptian and
placed in a stone coffin, so I didn’t
call her Mummy, Mumma, or Mum.
And she was not a black woman
from the antebellum South who
cared for white kids, so I didn’t
call her Mammy, Mamma, or Mam.
That woman like no other was my
mother who raised me in the USA.
So, I called her Mommy at first, then
Momma, and ultimately, simly Mom.
Copyright © 2024 Frank Zahn. Published in Adelaide Literary Magazine, Number 75, May 2025, https://adelaidemagazine.org/that-woman.