These beautiful and meaningful poems explore the intricate and evolving relationship between mothers and daughters. They capture the bond of love, the complexities of understanding, and the shared experiences that shape their connection.
These contemporary and classic poems celebrate the nurturing role of mothers and the wisdom passed down through generations. They also delve into the unique dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, acknowledging both moments of conflict and profound moments of connection and support.
‘Before You Were Mine’ by Carol Ann Duffy is a beautiful and nostalgic poem that features a woman’s contemplations of her mother’s life before the latter gave birth to her.
Mothers and daughters are the central topic at work in this poem. The speaker spends the lines imagining what her mother's life was like before she became a mother. This inspires images of her as a young woman and even to think that the years before she became a mother may have been better.
I’m ten years away from the corner you laugh on
with your pals, Maggie McGeeney and Jean Duff.
The three of you bend from the waist, holding
each other, or your knees, and shriek at the pavement.
In ‘From the House of Yemanjá,’ a daughter grapples with her mother’s duality, yearning for cultural connection and the embrace of cultural heritage.
This poem focuses on the bond between mothers and daughters, which is usually full of tension and conflict. The mother of the speaker is presented as a double character with the positive and negative qualities. This duality is the source of conflict and ambiguity in the speaker’s relationship with her mother. The speaker desires her mother’s affection, but at the same time, she feels that she is not good enough to be loved by her mother, and she wants to be the ‘perfect daughter’. The poem also carries a message on how the power struggles between the mother and the daughter. The speaker is in a state of conflict with her mother; she wants to be free of her mother’s influence, but at the same time she wants her mother to protect her and give her advice.
‘Keeping Orchids’ by Jackie Kay is a highly personal poem that explores Kay’s experiences meeting her birthmother and the ways in which she attempted to hold onto that experience.
This poem offers readers a look at the complex emotions that difficult mother-daughter relationships can result in. The poet was adopted, and in this piece, she documents meeting her birthmother for the first time and how the meeting wasn't quite all she wanted it to be.
The orchids my mother gave me when we first met
are still alive, twelve days later. Although
some of the buds remain closed as secrets.
Twice since I carried them back, like a baby in a shawl,
‘Praise Song For My Mother’ uses nature metaphors to depict her mother’s vital, nurturing presence in a personal ode.
Ultimately, this is a poem about a daughter remembering and reminiscing on her childhood relationship with her mother. Each of the metaphors illuminates a different side to the reverence and love that defined this period. She depicts her as a source of both guidance and support, a persistent presence like the moon, forever drawing them closer. The mother's gift of encouragement ("Go to your wide futures") reveals their bond to be an enduring, foundational, and greatly positive aspect of the speaker's identity.
‘From Stranraer, South’ by Jackie Kay explores themes of love, regret, and family tension, as the poet reflects on lost love and a mother’s disapproval.
The dynamic of the relationship between the mother and daughter is at the heart of this poem. The mother cannot accept her daughter's relationship, and she uses guilt and manipulation to get what she wants. The daughter falls for this, but she also allows herself to be manipulated. She seems to just accept that her mother is making her feel guilty and that this is how her life should be now.
Looking back, I can say, with my hand on my heart
that my mother got sick the day I said I was in love
’35/10’ by Sharon Olds is a moving poem about the poet’s relationship with her daughter. The latter is coming into her own while the former is growing old.
The bond between mother and daughter is central to the poem. As the mother brushes her daughter’s hair, she reflects on their connection and how their lives are shifting. This relationship is filled with love and pride, but also a hint of sadness, as the mother watches her daughter enter a new stage in life, while she herself grows older.
‘Catrin’ portrays the intense, loving struggle between a mother and daughter, highlighting conflict and deep connection.
The relationship between mother and daughter is central to this poem. The poem does not try to sugarcoat their bond. It shows how love and disagreement can happen at the same time. The daughter wants freedom, and the mother wants to protect her. Through a single memory, the poem gives a full picture of the deep connection and growing distance between them. It is one of the best short portrayals of this specific bond in poetry.
‘A Sunday Morning Tragedy’ reveals a tragic attempt to avert shame, ending in the daughter’s death and the mother’s deep remorse.
The relationship between the mother and her daughter forms the emotional core of this poem. Their bond is filled with love, but also with misunderstanding, silence, and desperation. The mother acts out of care, but her decisions bring about great harm. Through her voice, we see the fear and heartbreak of watching her daughter suffer. It is an honest and painful look at how even love can lead to irreversible mistakes when driven by fear.
‘Hot Combs’ by Natasha Trethewey is an emotional poem about the past. It includes images of a speaker’s mother and how she looked as she fixed her hair.
Even though the poem never states the relationship directly, it is easy to feel the strong bond between the speaker and her mother. The daughter’s quiet observations and careful memory reflect deep love and connection. This poem is not about conversation or big moments, but about everyday care that stays in the mind. It shows how that mother and daughter relationship can shape a person’s memory long after the moment has passed.
‘For Julia, In The Deep Water’ by John N. Morris uses the image of parents watching their daughter learn to swim to emphasize how parents must let their children grow and face the unknown, symbolized by the dark water.
The mother's concern for her daughter is mentioned throughout this poem. She has to appear distant to her daughter while she is struggling to learn so that she will be able to learn how to overcome difficulties on her own. The father is wrestling with his feelings about this, and sees these feelings reflected in his wife and her demeanor.
The instructor we hire because she does not love you Leads you into the deep water, The deep end
‘For Our Mothers’ critiques Nigerian traditions, showing how women endure unhappy marriages and uphold customs, urging daughters to break the cycle.
The relationship between mothers and daughters is looked at quite closely in this poem. The mothers pass down the unhealthy traditions of their culture, and this leads to the daughters being less happy than they could otherwise have been. The poet urges the daughters to get away from these traditions - not just for themselves, but for their mothers as well.
Nne, I can't do this any longer.
I cannot fold my arms and rest,
Watching lonely wives wrap their head ties so large,
‘Snapshots of a Daughter-In-Law’ is a feminist poem of defiance and activism against the misogynistic constraints of patriarchal society. It is a beautiful, and often satirical, poetic exploration of the position women occupy within a male-dominated world.
The poems title suggest that motherhood and daughterhood are primary topics to the poem, but they are more used to represent a wider array of feminine issues and endurances of women. But the poem does definitely explore generational differences between women, and daughters and mothers who grow and age differently, but suffer collectively under the patriarchy.
‘The One Girl at the Boys Party’ by Sharon Olds is about a young girl who attends a boy’s pool party. She stands apart from them in a powerful and beautiful way.
The bond between mother and daughter is beautifully highlighted in the poem. The mother silently observes her daughter, filled with pride as she watches her stand out confidently. This relationship is built on love, understanding, and admiration. The poem reflects how a mother sees her daughter grow into her own person, balancing love with the joy of watching her child’s development.
‘Genetics’ speaks on the composition of one’s body and how one is made of their mother, father, and their combined history.
There is a quiet closeness between the speaker and her mother, especially in how she links her palms to her mother’s. This physical comparison is gentle and full of meaning. While the poem is not only about their relationship, this small gesture gives a glimpse into the way daughters notice and carry their mothers with them. It is not a loud or emotional bond, but a lasting one, shown in the way she keeps her mother close through her hands.
My father’s in my fingers, but my mother’s in my palms.
‘August, Los Angeles, Lullaby’ by Carol Muske-Dukes is a contemporary poem about bringing life into the world and the worries that plague a mother after giving birth.
In this poem, the speaker considers her relationship with her mother and how now, as a mother herself, her relationship with her daughter will develop. She knows it isn't going to be easy and having these new experiences gives her a different perspective on her mother's experiences.
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