Thank you, Mom

For my mother: Wilma Julia Cermak Mann 1927-2004

Wallpaper paste and splashes of color
I had a mother like no other
A ‘Jack-Pine-Savage’ turned suburban mom
She lit up the neighborhood with joy and aplomb

“Be brave, you can do it!” was her constant refrain
As she taught her daughters to shake off ‘female shame’
Do your best and love each other
Life’s most essential values… from the heart of my mother.