Get your tissues for the mother daughter poems that I’m about to share with you below! I love poems about being a mom and also about being a daughter because we know how different being a boy mom is from being a girl mom.
READ: The 11 Most Effective Tips on How to get along with your grown daughter
In this article, I’ll be sharing 5 of the sweetest mother daughter poems that hold various kinds of meanings when it comes to the mother daughter relationship. First though, let’s look at some different ways in which you can use these poems.
5 ways to use mother daughter poems
Using mother daughter poems is a great way to express love and appreciation in various situations. Here are some ideas on how someone might incorporate mother daughter poems for birthday celebrations.
- Birthday cards. Writing a poignant mother-daughter poem in a birthday card can make the message more special. It adds a personal touch that conveys feelings of love and gratitude.
- Social media posts. Sharing a meaningful mother-daughter poem on platforms like Instagram or Facebook can celebrate the bond publicly. Accompanying the poem with a photo can create a memorable tribute.
- Gift wrapping. Adding a short mother-daughter poem to a gift tag or wrapping paper can enhance the gift’s sentimental value, making it more meaningful.
- Speeches or toasts. If you’re celebrating a milestone birthday, including a mother-daughter poem in a speech can evoke emotions and highlight the special relationship shared.
- Family gatherings. Reading a mother-daughter poem during a family gathering can serve as a touching moment to honor the bond and share stories that resonate with everyone present.
By using mother-daughter poems for birthday celebrations in these creative ways, you can express just how deep your relationship is and create forever types of memories.
5 Famous poems about mother daughter relationships
- “Before you were mine” by Carol Ann Duffy
“Before You Were Mine” is a poem that explores the poet’s reflections on her mother’s life before she was born. It’s a nostalgic and poignant view of the mother’s youth, freedom and personality before the responsibilities of motherhood took over.
It is written from the perspective of a daughter looking at an old photograph of her mother, imagining her younger, carefree self before she had children.
The poem highlights how becoming a parent can transform a person’s identity.
The daughter feels a sense of loss, knowing that her mother had a different life before she was born.
Despite the bittersweet tone of the poem, the speaker really admires her mother’s past self and cherishes their bond.
Excerpt: I knew you would dance like that.
Before you were mine, your Ma stands at the close with a hiding for the late one.
You reckon it’s worth it.
- “August, Los Angeles, Lullaby” by Carol Muske-Dukes
“August, Los Angeles, Lullaby” is a poem that goes into the profound emotions of new motherhood. The poem captures the intimate moments between a mother and her newborn, with themes of identity, transformation and the deep bond that’s made in early parenthood.
The speaker looks at her newborn’s face, describing it as possessing a “pure amnesia”, a blank slate unmarked by experiences. The setting of Los Angeles in August is a backdrop that contrasts with the personal, tender moments inside with the vast and dynamic world outside.
Excerpt: Her face kept dissolving
into expressions resembling
my own, but the child’s was pure…
- “First Fall” is a poem by Maggie Smith
This beautiful poem captures a mother’s experience introducing her child to the world during the autumn season. It reflects on themes of change, the passage of time and a parent’s desire for their child to appreciate the world’s beauty.
The mother acts as a guide, pointing out the details of the season: the sycamores with their “mottled, paint-by-number bark,” leaves “rusting and crisping at the edges,” and the lively scenes in the park with ponds, ducks and dogs fetching sticks. As autumn goes on, she contemplates the inevitable changes her child will see and voices a deep wish for her child to love the world while acknowledging her role in bringing them into it.
“Soon I’ll have another
season to offer you: frost soft
on the window and a porthole
sighed there, ice sleeving the bare
gray branches. The first time you see
something die, you won’t know it might
come back. I’m desperate for you
to love the world because I brought you here.”
READ: Why can’t mothers and daughters get along?
- “To My Mother” by Christina Rossetti
This is a short but truly heartfelt poem which is a birthday tribute from Rossetti to her mother. It’s simple but it carries a warm and loving tone showing gratitude and well wishes.
It acknowledges the importance of a mother’s presence in a child’s life, making her birthday a moment to cherish.
The last line expresses the idea that love given should be returned, a reflection of the poet’s deep respect and admiration for her mother.
“To-day’s your natal day;
Sweet flowers I bring:
Mother, accept, I pray
My offering.
And may you happy live,
And long us bless;
Receiving as you give
Great happiness.”
- “Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me” by Maya Angelou
This poem reflects on the beautiful bond between a mother and her child. In this work, Angelou goes into the loving and protective role of a mother and the deep emotional connection that shapes a child’s life.
The poem emphasizes the mother’s role in providing comfort and safety, portraying her as a cradle that holds and supports the child through life’s challenges.
Angelou explores the selfless and enduring love a mother offers, showing how this love serves as a foundation for the child’s growth and development.
The poem conveys the complex emotions associated with motherhood, including joy, sacrifice and the bittersweet nature of watching a child grow and become independent.
Excerpt: Your arms were molded
Into a cradle to hold me, to rock me.
The scent of your body was the air
Perfumed for me to breathe…
I hope you take the time to look up the full versions of the excerpts I’ve provided as they are such beautiful poems. I also hope you enjoyed the full versions I was able to give you.
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