15+ Heartfelt Poems about Mothers and Sons

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

These heartfelt poems about mothers and sons depict their deep and enduring love. They honor mothers’ guiding presence, sacrifices, and unwavering support.

These poems celebrate the unique and cherished moments shared between mother and son, encapsulating the strength and tenderness of their relationship. Poets use powerful imagery to bring up emotions of gratitude, protection, and the unbreakable bond that forms between a mother and her son in the reader.

Poems about Mothers and Sons Visual Representation

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"> 95/100

My Mother Would Be a Falconress

by Robert Duncan

‘My Mother Would Be a Falconress’ by Robert Duncan explores a son and mother’s relationship through the lens of a falcon breaking free from his handler.

'My Mother Would Be a Falconress' is one of the best poems that explores the mother-son relationship. While it is clear that the son and mother love each other, their relationship is very rocky, as the son eventually tires of the mother's controlling and domineering nature. The son also regrets turning his anger against his mother and feels haunted by the events after her death.

My mother would be a falconress,

And I, her gay falcon treading her wrist,

would fly to bring back

from the blue of the sky to her, bleeding, a prize,

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"> 93/100

My Son the Man

by Sharon Olds

‘My Son the Man’ explores the reality of parenting and engages with the inevitability of the passage of time.

The love between the poem's mother and child is evident and continually evidenced throughout the poem. This love, however, often leads to disagreement and fear due to their differences in opinion about the son's choices. Above all, the poem captures the reality of parental relationships by highlighting the fact the mother wants her son to be safe above all, whereas his priorities are harder to quantify and may involve some degree of risk.

Suddenly his shoulders get a lot wider,

the way Houdini would expand his body

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English

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War

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Grief

Loving Someone You Can't Have

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"> 92/100

Poppies

by Jane Weir

‘Poppies’ captures a mother’s heartache for her war-bound son, weaving symbols of memory with the scars of war’s aftermath.

This is a central theme. The poem tenderly portrays the maternal bond, from childhood care to the wrenching act of letting go. It captures a universal dynamic, heightened by the threat of war. It is without doubt one of the most powerful portrayals of the ultimate feeling of loss, experienced by countless mothers to countless sons throughout human history.

Three days before Armistice Sunday

and poppies had already been placed

on individual war graves. Before you left,

I pinned one onto your lapel, crimped petals,

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"> 90/100

A Poem For Mother

by Robin Ngangom

‘A Poem For Mother’ by Robin S. Ngangom contains the speaker’s regret for how he has lived. He feels his mother should not be proud of him.

The topic of mothers and sons is incredibly important to this poem. The speaker, a son, is talking to his mother throughout this text. He addresses her by name, alludes to his childhood, and even asks for her forgiveness for not living the best life he could've. He worries for her and for how he has treated her, as well.

Palem Apokpi, mother who gave birth to me,

to be a man how I hated leaving home

ten years ago. Now these hills

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"> 85/100

an afternoon nap

by Arthur Yap

‘an afternoon nap’ by Arthur Yap explores the lacunae in the modern education system and how it results in anxiety and stress in students.

This Arthur Yap poem explores the discord in a mother-son relationship.

the ambitious mother across the road

is at it again. proclaming her goodness

she beats the boy. shouting out his wrongs, with raps

she begins with his mediocre report-book grades.

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"> 78/100

Eden Rock

by Charles Causley

‘Eden Rock’ evokes nostalgia, depicting a timeless picnic with his parents, blending memory with longing for familial unity.

In ‘Eden Rock,’ Causely talks about his twenty-three-year-old mother wearing a sprigged dress and a straw hat with a ribbon in it. She brings life to the picnic by arranging the items she brought from home for her family to enjoy.

They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:

My father, twenty-five, in the same suit

Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack

Still two years old and trembling at his feet.

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"> 72/100

My Brother at 3 A.M.

by Natalie Diaz

‘My Brother at 3 am’ by Natalie Diaz is written in a Malay verse form called pantoum. He believes that something, or someone, “wants to kill [him]. ”

The relationship between mother and son is central to the poem, illustrated through the mother’s protective and compassionate response to her son’s terror. The mother remains calm, asking gentle but probing questions in an effort to understand his delusions. This interaction shows the strain mental illness places on family dynamics, with the mother’s patience and care providing stability. While the mother’s role is vital to the narrative, the poem doesn’t explore their relationship in depth beyond the immediate situation.

He sat cross-legged, weeping on the steps when Mom unlocked and opened the front door. O God, he said. O God. He wants to kill me, Mom.

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Dear Mama

by Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur’s ‘Dear Mama’ expresses heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for a mother’s love and sacrifices, showcasing profound emotions.

Tupac Shakur's poem addresses mothers and sons as a topic. He writes to his mother, appreciating her for all he has done for him. He remembers the sacrifices she made for him to be happy, and begs her to make it through the night to see a brighter day. This is a very good poem about mothers and sons.

There's no way I can pay you back

But my plan is to show you that I understand

You are appreciated

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"> 70/100

Long Distance II

by Tony Harrison

‘Long Distance II’ by Tony Harrison is an elegiac poem that describes a father’s way of grieving the death of his wife and his child’s reaction to his futile actions.

Harrison wrote this piece to elaborate on how hard his father tried not to accept the reality of his mother’s death. It is about the time when his mother “was already two years dad.” Still, his father kept her things and believed she would return to end his unending grief.

Though my mother was already two years dead

Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas,

put hot water bottles her side of the bed

and still went to renew her transport pass.

#10

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The Silver Flask

by John Montague

‘The Silver Flask’ by John Montague recounts the poet’s family reunion and their journey to Ireland after twenty years to celebrate Christmas.

The relationship between Montague and his mother attracts special attention. Throughout the poem, the mother is referred to more distantly than the father. For instance, using ‘our’ for mother but ‘my’ for father. Additionally, most of the major activities are performed by the father, which sets the mood of the poem. The mother, on the other hand, is deliberately kept domestically confined and portrays the underlying sorrow. However, in this poem, keeping aside his disdain, Montague visibly attempts to re-establish their previous cordiality.

The family circle briefly restored

nearly twenty lonely years after

that last Christmas in Brooklyn,

#11

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The White Rose

by Hussain Manawer

‘The White Rose’ by Hussain Manawer is a deeply personal poem that discusses the impact that the death of the poet’s mother had on him.

As the poet discusses the loss of his mother, he explains a great deal about the relationship that he had with her. He shows the influence that she had on his life and what an important part of his life she was.

You’re the one God took home.

I miss you.

No matter what they say, I miss you.

I’ve never missed anyone the way I miss you.

#12

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"> 65/100

The Glass Hammer

by Andrew Hudgins

‘The Glass Hammer’ by Andrew Hudgins reimagines an impactful childhood memory that explores the disaster naive and unheeding curiosity can lead to.

Another topic central to the poem is the relationship between mother and son. As a child, the speaker ignores their mom's warnings and ends up destroying the hammer, earning them cuts from the glass that's followed by an implied disciplinary beating delivered by their parent. But Hudgins’ also captures other nuances: the mother's advice acknowledges the intoxicating effects of childhood curiosity, while the speaker's "goddamn'er" gripes humorously over the punishment they received.

My mother's knickknack crystal hammer

gleamed by her silver tray.

O pick me up and play with me,

I heard the hammer say

#13

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"> 60/100

On the Receipt of My Mother’s Picture

by William Cowper

‘On the Receipt of My Mother’s Picture’ by William Cowper sees the poet discussing the emotions he feels when he receives a painting of his mother.

The relationship between William Cowper and his mother is central to this poem. Upon seeing an image of her many years after her death he remembers the way that his life was when she was still alive - the care that she showed to him and how happy those times were. He remembers how her death affected him and he thinks about what she might be doing now that she is in the afterlife.

Oh that those lips had language! Life has pass'd

With me but roughly since I heard thee last.

Those lips are thine—thy own sweet smiles I see,

The same that oft in childhood solaced me;

#14

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2 Mothers in an HDB Playground

by Arthur Yap

‘2 Mothers in an HDB Playground’ by Arthur Yap is about the conversation held between two mother at a park, as the title suggests.

#15

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A Stone is Nobody’s

by Russell Edson

‘A Stone is Nobody’s’ by Russell Edson is a memorable poem. It uses a stone, and a man’s capture of it, to describe a troubling mother/son relationship.

A man ambushed a stone. Caught it. Made it a prisoner.

Put it in a dark room and stood guard over it for the

rest of his life.

Home » Collection » Poems about Mothers and Sons

15+ Heartfelt Poems about Mothers and Sons

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

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15+ Heartfelt Poems about Mothers and Sons

(15 to start, 30+ to explore)

by Robert Duncan

by Sharon Olds

by Jane Weir

by Robin Ngangom

by Arthur Yap

by Charles Causley

by Natalie Diaz

by Tupac Shakur

by Tony Harrison

by John Montague

by Hussain Manawer

by Andrew Hudgins

by William Cowper

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