The Look (Ode to my mom)
I remember the look
Stern yet loving without a sound
Was really all it took
Disaster averted and turned around
Preaching came to me with ease
Let those barbs fly without a thought
But she remained on her knees
The look said something more was sought
It’s not what is said, you learn
Years peel away like skins from an onion
Words too cause quite a burn
Like those tears when your funs done
Easy it would be if she tore
Chastise, prosthelytize, no instead the eyes
Never in anger she swore
Just the look that carried so much more
The pain I know I brought about
If it came to me, I would explode and scream
She made it clear without a doubt
Tears of sorrow, prayers, the unwavering beam
The look is not a memory but a part
Like the lining sewn inside a coat perpetually worn
It was sent straight from her loving heart
Be it happy and proud or crushed and torn
The look made me feel reality
The words came to me like a door had sprung
Each day they pervade my mentality
Comfort, compassion, fresh air to fill my lungs
I gaze upon my grown son
I remember the look as I lose my cool, act a fool
So hard to keep from coming undone
Her look you see followed one simple rule
Love is not in a store, a song or a book
You cannot go online and google it for a cue
It comes from the heart, the look
It is in your soul, it’s not anyone else but you
You can practice the look in a mirror
But it will not be something you plan or rehearse
Nor has it anything to do with fear
Not a fancy prose or well-read verse
It’s just true honest love…
That she could express in a look,
Tim Windisch
2/19/2014
