Ave Maria

And you leave, Mary, among the others
Who gather around as you pass by
A hedge of gazes that don’t hurt
In the season of being a mother

You know that in an hour you might cry
Then your hand will hide a smile
Joy and pain have an uncertain boundary
In the season that lights up your face

Hail Mary, now that you’re a woman
Hail to the women like you, Mary
Ladies one day for a new love
Poor or rich, humble or Messiah.

Ladies one day and then mothers forever
In the season that doesn’t feel the seasons.