Errie learner Kara McKenzie achieved an excellent fifth place in the Beeld Poetry Competition.
Kara's unique talent with words saw her finish among the top entries and is an achievement she can be proud of. Her writing continues to captivate and shows a great love and aptitude for poetry.
Congratulations, Kara. May you continue to write, dream, and inspire people with your words — never put down your pen.
Read Kara's poem below.
A Mother - Kara McKenzie
I think of the caress and the finger that draws circles on my skin,
and the warm breath on my neck and the knowledge: “I am safe”.
I think of her tolerance and the warm smile she holds,
and the encouraging nod of her head, and the thought: “I am loved”.
The world has been turning in so many different directions recently,
and uncertainty is just another stone we carry in our backpack.
But one thing remains for sure:
There is no greater love than the love of a mother.
She heals broken knees,
while she breaks her own in prayer.
She holds hands and hearts, catches tears and colds,
And from every dark hole, every ditch in which we find ourselves… it is she who saves us.
It happens too often these days that our room doors are slammed shut out of pure frustration, so that
the frames suffer under the sudden impact,
and your grief branches out like veins through the household,
and the cry: “Nobody understands!” escapes from your throat.
but as she involuntarily aims for a tear with her sleeve,
one look will betray the understanding in her caring eyes: Mom understands.
“You look just like your mother” is the greatest compliment one can receive. And all I strive for is to hear that I, who she is, also reflect
her being, her personality . I know how to love. I know how to pray. And the kingdom of God? I know I am a member. I know my name is written on our Father's hand. I know I am unique, created differently than you. I know with every obstacle, He helps me through it, I know this, because my mother taught me. Does she navigate the path of motherhood like someone who has walked it a thousand times, And does she stretch out her arms in welcoming a home, my home, that holds its doors wide open for me, waiting for me to come and make myself at home. It's not difficult when it's my mother. A mother's world revolves around the people who daily bring a resigned smile to her face ... Unknowingly, she is the one who makes the wound of every harsh word disappear. Cherish her, keep her safe, protect her heart of gold and treat her like precious stones... She is bitterly strange. Take advantage of every moment, and pay attention to her facial features as she did to yours, when you lay as delicately as a porcelain doll in her arms- every piece of you, comes from her. Lord Father, I go down on my knees as she taught me, she, who left my soul in bloom. Papa Jesus, it is a blessing that You have given me, thank you that I can call her my mom.