A spoken-word poem has gone viral for its refreshing look at how difficult it is for many moms to be seen as more than mothers.
In a video of her spoken-word poem that the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 News posted on March 30, poet Hollie McNish explains that she only feels like an individual at night in the few hours she gets before she goes to sleep and wakes up to do it all over again.
“Cinderella’s clock strikes at midnight each time. My clock strikes loudly at nine,” she said in her poem, which has been viewed more than 5.8 million times as of Friday.
McNish rhythmically described the feelings of being described as “so-and-so’s mum” and the idea of mothers being “underpaid, overworked” as “snot rags” and “milk makers.” She also emphasized the strength of mothers, but stressed that crying every once in a while isn’t a sign of weakness.
“Someone said that moms are the rocks that never crumble,” she said. “I don’t think that’s true ‘cause I do.”
At the end of her poem, McNish reminds her fellow mothers that their “stories are many.” And the poem in its entirety proves that their stories are worth telling.
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