Mother and Mind

At first she minds you but you do not know.
Then she minds you and you do not mind
Until the day she minds you and you mind.

Then she minds you so that you don’t know
She’s minding you, she thinks. You know, and mind.
She doesn’t know you know or doesn’t mind
Until the day she knows and starts to mind.

Then she doesn’t mind you, save from time
To time. But every time she does, you mind
Until the day when all at once you don’t
Mind.
+++++Then you mind each other and don’t mind
Until the day that you start minding her

Because you must. At first she knows and minds.
You don’t mind that she knows and minds: you must.
Then comes the day when all at once you mind
Her and she doesn’t mind.
+++++++++++++++++Then you mind
Her and she doesn’t know.

+++++++++++++++++Then others mind
Her and you mind. They don’t mind that you mind:
They must. But you at least mind all you can
Whenever you can.
+++++++++++++++++Then she is gone
And you mind

And do not know

James B. Nicola’s poetry has garnered two Willow Review awards, a Dana Literary award, seven Pushcart nominations, and one Best of the Net nom. His full-length collections include Manhattan Plaza, Stage to Page: Poems from the Theater, Wind in the Cave (2017), Out of Nothing: Poems of Art and Artists (2018), Quickening: Poems from Before and Beyond (2019), and Fires of Heaven: Poems of Faith and Sense (2021). A Yale grad, he also has enjoyed a career as a stage director, culminating in the nonfiction book Playing the Audience: The Practical Guide to Live Performance, which won a Choice award.