"Mama", "Mummy", "Mom"

You are my “mama”, “mummy”, “mom”.
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I call you this because it means you are my person.
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I don’t know your first name yet, and I don’t need to.
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This is your name to me.
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You smile when I first call it.
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You turn to me when I say it.
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You always come to me when I cry it.
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And one day when I do know your name by birth, I’ll still prefer “mama”, “mummy”, or “mom”.
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Because it’s our connection.
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It’s the way I know we have something others don’t.
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It’s more than just a word that’s easy for me to say.
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We have something special.
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You are so special to me.
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And I know others use this word too.
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To their own “mum”, “mama”, “mummy”.
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I hear them sometimes.
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But you don’t turn.
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Or smile immediately.
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Or run to them like you do to me.
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Because you know exactly the way I say it.
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Because you are in tune to me, to us.
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Because being called “mum”, “mama”, “mummy” is so special to you too.
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I see it is.

When I say it sometimes your welling eyes and trembling lips make it clear.
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But I know it must be hard to hear all of the time some days.
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Especially when you are tired, and can’t come right away.
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When you have others you love just the same echoing it too.
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When you just need to hear yourself think.
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I say “mum”, “mama”, “mom” a lot.
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Especially right now.
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I know I do.
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It’s not because I want to make it any less special.
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It’s because I don’t have many other words.
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And these are my favourite.
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You are my favourite.
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I love you.