Where Love Begins
A Compassiviste Perspective on Honoring All Who Nurture Life
Long before "Mother" was a word, there was the Universe itself, a presence that nurtured the first breath of life.
This Mother’s Day, let’s expand our understanding of motherhood and widen our circle of compassion.
Inspired from the recent blog post, A Compassiviste Reflection for Mother’s Day, and amplified by the voices of Compassiviste Publishing’s poets, we view this celebration as more than a day of flowers and cards.
The blog reminds us that the cosmos was our original mother—shaping stars, embracing oceans, breathing life into our planet. Every mother across all species and time, echoes this original love: patient, protective, selfless, enduring, and life-giving.
Yet the pain and perseverance of motherhood demand our attention.
Rachel Soland's intimate poem, for my mother, offers a quiet reflection on a child's connection to their mother:
“Sorry ma, I died again today / I swear I played it safe...”
It’s not a critique but a tribute. A child trying to shield their mother from sorrow, while quietly carrying their own pain. It reminds us of the affection, and sometimes regret, woven into the relationship between mother and child.
Ali Horriyat’s poem, Blood on the Bread, by contrast, confronts us with the raw realities of mothers in crisis, enduring suffering within broken systems:
“Mother shrieks / Blood spatters...
One loaf / Two mouths / Who eats today”
This is a cry from the heart of conflict, of scarcity, of institutional failure. The weight of the world, the struggle for safety and well-being, falls heavily on those who nurture.
Horriyat’s Return to Love poem adds another layer; evoking the deep longing for warmth, protection, and original connection:
“Where’s the pulse, the rhythmic sway / Just echoes lost, now worlds away.”
This common ache reminds us that care and safety are not guaranteed. They must be protected and prioritized.
And in A Mother’s Vigil, Horriyat’s poem shifts our perspective to the urban wilderness, where he observes:
“A mother’s love, a never-ending sun...
The constant dance of life, in this wonderland.”
Here, a raccoon mother's determination to protect her young among human threats becomes a powerful metaphor for the persistence of nurturing across all species. It also confronts us with a truth we must hold: when we degrade ecosystems, we endanger mothers everywhere.
Recognition of the challenges mothers face needs a meaningful response, where compassion will blossom into greater harmony.
This Mother's Day, let us commit to:
Advocating for policies that uplift caregivers
Fair wages, accessible childcare, and robust safety nets for those who nurture life.Promoting economies that value nurture over extraction
Sustainable systems that respect people, animals, and planet.Making daily choices that ease the burden on all mothers
Reduce our environmental impact and support ethical practices.Becoming voices for the voiceless
Protecting those who protect life—whether human, animal, or the Earth herself.
Mother’s Day is not a moment. It is an eternal movement.
Let us carry that movement forward with compassion, courage, and care.
With gratitude,
The Compassion in Action Team
Compassiviste
P.S. We encourage you to read the full blog post on the Compassiviste website for a deeper reflection on this topic.
We believe the poetry from Compassiviste Publishing provides valuable insights into what it means to be human and why compassion is so urgently needed. We encourage you to read them.
Return to Love poem and A Mother’s Vigil poem - by Ali Horriyat, from Capitalist to Compassiviste (Poems of Compassion)
Blood on the Bread poem - by Ali Horriyat, from The Gospel of Collapse: Poems of Compassion
for my mother poem - by Rachel Soland, from What I Remember Most of All: A Book of Poetry
Share these reflections with others and let's collectively amplify this message of taking compassion in action this Mother's Day and beyond.