No dejes para mañana lo que puedes hacer hoy.
—my mother’s favorite saying

Mother reached the daily recommended steps often. 
Many evenings, running to the ice cream truck offered the urgency of a race to be beat,
"Alert the driver, be careful, and get their attention!"

Better yet were the jogs to catch up with the paletero man.

Running through cash like no other, 
Mother stretched money, change, coins, and coupons
in all sorts of ways.

To the bakery Mother ran to provide memories
of ever endearing cuddles 
for the scent of fresh made bread can not be refrained. 

Mother also ran to provide 
all the pile of forms 
requested by the U.S. government...
to be offered a scant amount of dough
divided up among the tug and pull 
of her offspring.
Office Depot a pit stop along this trail 
ensuring all the checkboxes were completed and signed. 

The library provided a resting place from Mother's running. 
A space to slow down, pick up a book, and enjoy the silence of its walls. 
Mother saw new paths to run:
Community festivals, events, and seasonal meetings.  

Running, Mother avoided many of Father's hurtful spurts. 
Running onward, mother refocused her energy on finding new trails to run. 
Running for cover in those spontaneous showers reminding
all runners to mind the clouds patterns and existence.

On the holidays mother ran to meet her siblings
and offer many a-things to send back to where she grew. 
The same holidays brought on a reminder to run to the local shop
to pick-up the order of masa for many projects that were to be completed shortly. 

In celebration of one's birth, Mother ran!
Ran to meet the family friend
whose cakes were always at the top of the list. 
Undoubtedly, the quinceañera cake would make its appearance.

The route to the market was Mother's most urgent run. 
Church sales, rain checks, clearance, and the weekly sales lead Mother 
down many roads. 
Her children carrying the baton of finding
the target and asking for assistance when needed. 

Formula offered a redirecting halt in Mother's runs. 
Hospital visits were on repeat on Mother's running schedule. 
Soon school meetings is where Mother ran. 
Mother's presence in the Principal's office 
reassured her advocacy for education. 
Denting the school to prison pipeline system.

Mother ran and ran. 
Language acquisition a priority.
An innovative business woman.
Resourceful.
Recipient of the gold trophy for all the runs won!

Mayte Castro is a writer and educator who resides in Seattle, WA originally from Southern California (daughter of immigrants). She writes poetry that focuses on immigration, culture and travel, and self-expression. Mayte has been published by Brave Expressions and Azahares. Additional published poetry can be found in braveexpressions.com, https://wapoetlaureate.org/poetry-to-lean-on/, and Azahares.