Son to Mother

Hey Mama.
I just wanted you to know
I kept climbin’.
Those crystal stairs wasn’t nothin’
and all that glitters ain’t gold.
All I ever needed was that first step up
and you gave that to me.
Even when you had to stand on
tacks
and splinters
and boards torn up,
you made it possible for me,
so I kept climbin.
And when I got to the top,
when I seen all there was to see,
I turned around, reached down,
and helped my brother up next.

In response to Langston Hughes "Mother to Son".