What Does Motherhood Feel Like?

By Simone Griffin
@sincerelysimoneg

“What does motherhood feel like?”

Motherhood feels like summer’s sun. 
Makes you glow and sweat.
Exposes you. 
If you don’t take breaks, 
it burns you. 
Leaves you parched and longing.
Depletes you 
and heals you.
Its days last an eternity 
and somehow, 
disappear in a flash.

Motherhood feels like 
autumn’s cozy comforts. 
The joy sparked in your heart when leaves change and grow vibrant 
before sailing to the ground. 
It’s colorful and fleeting. 
A fire that warms you 
but can singe you. 
A soft blanket. 
You want to swaddle yourself deeply in its threads. 
If you hide beneath it long enough 
you lose yourself. 
It’s splendid and suffocating. 

Motherhood feels like winter’s bitter cold.
Tip toeing on the frigid ice 
and praying you don’t fall through the cracks.
It chills you to the bone and stings you. 
It’s freshly fallen snow— 
magnificent and pure. 
An enchanting wonderland.
The early nightfall leaves you trapped inside for endless hours, 
waiting for light to return. 
It’s a million little deaths—
of expectations, of desires, of selfish pursuits. 

“What does motherhood feel like?”

Motherhood feels like spring’s fresh hope. 
Each day a new beginning, 
a resurrection of your weary soul,
a slow growth,
a masterpiece in progress. 
Just when you think you’ve withered,
the light returns 
and you realize you’re reviving. 
Look at you. 
Still here, 
blooming. 

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Guest poetry written by Simone Griffin. Simone lives in the Raleigh, NC area with her husband and two kids. As a work from home mama, she spends her days counseling, organizing, cooking, and folding mountains of laundry. She'll invite you to join her for coffee, brunch, church, or a 5 a.m. boot camp workout. In the margins, she writes about the beauty and burdens of motherhood in hopes of helping other moms feel seen. You can connect with her on Instagram or Substack.

Photo by Jennifer Floyd.