The Mother Under Armor

I was told that I wouldn’t succeed in life

Told that I wouldn't be able to keep up

I was told that I was a loser

I was told to follow what others did

Told to act like everyone else so I could blend in with the crowds

I was told that I wouldn’t talk at the same level of academics

Told that I would fail

I was told to learn how to do everything right 

But most of all, I was told that I could choose what I wanted to do

That was what my mother who told me 

The mother who decided either I would speak  English or Spanish

The mother who fought in the IEP meetings to get the support I needed 

The mother who gave birth to eight kids

The mother who could’ve died when I was 10

Her skin as cold as the Ice Age 

Her skin so close to the color of paper

She was so lucky

The doctors barely came on time to save her life

Such a blessing impossible to believe 

She was the lucky clover found in the grassfield

Being that clover makes her my unique mother

The mother who’s her own attorney 

Fighting every court for the right of her children

The education her children deserves 

She’s a miracle worker 

A fighter who never stops until she wins

A mother who I wish to be