ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explores the complex relationships people have with their mothers through an intimate collection of creative nonfiction. She offers a second glimpse into the complexities of mother love, the nurturing mothers and the mother of many shadows–those who disappoint, neglect, and abandon, who cause people pain and even hate. Mother is the whisper of the leaves as one walk down the street. She is the cool hand on one’s brow when they are not feeling well. She's the place one came from, their first home. She is one’s first love, their first friend, even their first enemy. The author read an anonymous quote on the theme that touched her. It evokes the sense memories that a good-enough mother can offer–though, as many of these contributions suggest, some mothers fall very short.
