Lesley

Sitting, listening, silent

Photo’s, videos, tales being told

Nodding as a form of participation

Feeling othered not mothered and certainly not

Grand Mothered

“Did I tell you about Phoebe?”

“How’s wee Johnny doing ?” 

“Here’s a video of Lucas’s first steps”

Opportunities to observe the competition between them

Keep nodding, keep clinging on to being part of the group

Feeling guilty for bringing an anecdote about your beloved nephew to the table

Something, anything to stop bloody nodding

Thinking you’d moved on from the years of

Sitting, listening, silent

Photo’s, videos, tales being told

Of their mothering

And my othering