McKenna Morton
I think my mom is my best friend
Younger me would have been ashamed to admit that
But at 19, I wear it like a badge
Pinned to every shirt I wear
Every bag I carry
I carry her with me everywhere too
The way I laugh
Slapping my thigh
Head thrown back
The gap in my teeth
Passed down from her to me
I used to want to get rid of it as a kid
But as I got older, I loved it more and more
A piece of my mom I get to see every day
Looking back at me in the mirror
I’ll randomly call her sometimes
Or send little texts
In hopes she knows I miss her
And that I’m thinking about her
What is she doing?
Is she having a good day?
Does she miss me?
My mind sends me back to this summer
So late at night it was the next day
My mom crawling into my bed after too many drinks
Laughing like a little kid under the covers
Letting me hold her in my arms
Like she used to do for me
We talked for a long time about the past and the future
About how I will love college, even though it’s so far away from home
It makes me think about my mom as a kid
Did she have those dreams too?
Told to her mom or dad in the dark of the night
Did they encourage her to follow her passions?
I hope so, she deserved it then
And she deserves it now.
Some days, I don’t want to get out of bed to go to class
Or think that maybe I’m not cut out for this,
That college isn’t for me.
But then I think of my mom
Moving hours away to chase her passions as a teenager
And remember if she did it, so can I.
When I feel like that, I’ll give her a call.
Ask about her students
And remember she is devoting her time to help kids learn
And chase their dreams,
Just like she did for me.
I think my mom is my best friend.
And honestly,
I couldn’t ask for a better one.