The Mantle

The mantle of motherhood
wraps around me like a homemade scarf --
sometimes so constricting I can barely breathe,
sometimes unfashionable;
but softening me with every wash
muffling my selfishness
warming my soul
so that I wonder how my cold, lonely neck
ever bore up my head without it.

(In a more compact form, this won the One Sentence Contest over at The Chocolate Chip Waffle.  Check it out!)