Mother's Day Poems

Barbara J. Feldman

In celebration of mothers, I have gathered up the following poetry collections. Some include original works, others feature works from famous dead poets. Most allow the use of their poems on handmade Mother's Day cards, but be sure to check the terms of each site for more specific usage terms.

Day For Mothers: Mother's Day Poems

3 stars

The poems at Day for Mothers are organized into genres such as funny, religious, short, by moms, for kids and gratitude poems. Most of the poems have bylines, but the site does not specifically address usage rights or copyrights. Here's a snippet I liked from an unknown author. "All through the year / I'll try to do / The things that show / My love for you. / And not be happy just to say, / 'I love you, Mother,' on Mother's Day."

Mother's Day Central: 101 Poems for Moms

5 stars

Mother's Day Central is my pick of the week because of their great poem categories (such as Sons to Moms, Daughters to Mom, For Wives, For Step-Moms, and so on) and for their tips on writing your own poem for mom. "Most importantly, have fun! It doesn't matter whether you're a master poet or excellent speller - your love is sure to show through if you just do your best and enjoy the process. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be 'made especially for my beloved Mom.'"

Mother's Day Poems for Free

4 stars

"A mother's love determines how / We love ourselves and others. / There is no sky we'll ever see / Not lit by that first love." Poet and retired college professor Nicholas Gordon shares his Mother's Day poems. Because he allows free personal and non-commercial use of his poems, his site is a great resource for students, teachers and anyone making a homemade Mother's Day card. Gordon is quite prolific, and his is one of today's largest poem collections.

Poem Source: Mother Poems

4 stars

"How did you find the energy, Mom / To do all the things you did, / To be teacher, nurse and counselor / To me, when I was a kid." I was already a fan of poet Joanna Fuchs, so I was happy to see her name again when searching for Mother's Day poems. She and her husband write all the poems at Poem Source, and no commercial usage is allowed. Although in some cases she does allow a single poem to be published on a personal website, please read their usage guidelines carefully, because I can cover them adequately in this limited space.

Poets.org: Poems About Mothers

5 stars

For high-school students and adults, Poets.org takes a more scholarly approach to poems about mothers, with a look at half a dozen poems from well-known poets, and a suggested reading list that includes works by Edgar Allen Poe, Sylvia Plath, Rudyard Kipling, Allen Ginsberg, and others. Here's a short one by Robert Louis Stevenson, titled "To My Mother." "You too, my mother, read my rhymes / For love of unforgotten times, / And you may chance to hear once more / The little feet along the floor."