Verbatim

Mom, Dad, teacher, friend, Life coach, therapist, love guru, Seriously, the list does not end… My Mom always was, is, and will be, EVERYTHING Equal parts enamoring and terrifying I remember as a child  Forever pining for her tickles before bed However panicked every evening Hearing her heavy steps Clamoring as she climbed our iron staircase after a ten-hour shift Little hands desperately fanning the tv to remove traces of our lazy mischief Spoiler alert, she always found out anyway Apparently in addition to being everything, she really knew everything too Momma Dukes is one of the sweetest, most compassionate, and deepest people Kind, articulate, and true She has also been known to be a little bit of a scrappy chick with an incredibly short fuse Oh, how the feet never stray too far from the shoes Such big ones to fill… My mom did her best to raise me in a way I could learn self-respect, love and faith I can honestly say, to this day, she raises me still Raises my spirits, hopes Raises

Speak your piece Release Until your sound waves Hit my ears directly I could not care less  How you come at me In willingly listening company  You like the taste of my name It’s no surprise Roll her around on your tongue twice  You’ve sampled this spice A few times, I know, Because I’m not afraid to share My hands are shy, My lips are not They move constantly Til all my truth lies bare Heart stitched into cellophane sleeves For full transparency  Sometimes it takes a whip to be taught  The difference between talking And being heard People just aren’t used to hearing about themselves Sometimes they aren’t ready to receive the message And that’s okay, I’ve never spoken thoughts to backs More than faces And my door is always open You got tea you wish to share Something to wash from your hair Come here, and spill it