I call you "Ma," though you are not my mother,
But more a ma than any ma could be.
I've come to love you more than any other;
You took me in your charge and set me free.
You let me run and kissed me when I fell;
You kept your eyes on me and let me stray.
I learned things hard, which means I learned them well,
And got to know myself along the way.
My hope and faith and pride are all from you.
My roots are in your heart; you are my home.
You will be part of everything I do,
In all my thoughts a wise and lovely poem.
For all our lives we'll have this common ground:
You were my rock when else I would have drowned.
