mother's role

she was not such an old woman then
when she tended to my tears
and as always said "be still or
i'll never get the splinter" and
"how is it you always get
these things in your feet"
i didn't know the answer then
anymore than i do now
though i went barefoot
all the time and never do now
but things were different then
i was young and careless
still believing in
her bigger than life image

no, she not such an old woman when
i cried over the simple truth
that she would grow old and
cut off the coal black ponytail
and her skin would wither
as all women's will
i somehow half believed
she would stay young forever
then one day everything
about mother changed except her role