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.