My Mom and I
Not for sale
My Mom And I
by Darren Lagbao (age 16)
My mom who used to read me to sleep.
My mom who cooks adobo with pork sauce and boiled eggs.
My mom who supports me by listening to me when I’m down.
My mom who endures any trouble we give.
My mom who is patient when she’s teaching us How to take care of our five dogs.
My mom who bakes chocolate chip cookies for me and with me.
My mom who is serious when the moment’s needed Like when I hurt someone’s feelings.
My mom who is funny when the time is right Like when my dad got the car stuck in a ditch.
My mom who is hard working, the way she stacks wood for winter.
My mom who is smart. She offers us guidance.
My mom who is comforting, like when I’m sad, She puts her arm around me, and I lay in her lap.
This broadside celebrates the partnership of Seattle Arts & Lectures’ Writers in the Schools Program and Seattle Children’s Hospital, empowering pediatric patients with guidance from poets Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick. It was produced at the School of Visual Concepts in April 2020 and letterpress printed by Sarah Kulfan in a limited edition of 110.
I love this poem. I chose to print Darren’s poem back in March of 2020 when this project kicked-off. A few months later, my mom passed away and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue to work on this piece. More months passed and I finally returned to Darren’s poem, happy to discover that I found comfort and relatability in the ways in which he talks about spending time with his mom.
I wrote a whole post about this project, (which reveals the identity of each of the 5 dogs featured in the poem!), and you can read that here.
Boxcar Press also featured this print in it’s Part 2: 2020 Seattle Children’s Hospital Broadsides blog post.