A Mother's Heart

Heart of My Heart
Little girl mine
My face pressed up against glass
Yearning to hold her
Touch denied
My Mother’s Heart shattered

History repeats
Shatter
Shattered
Shattering

Now I am nine
Beaten up on the way home
Crying
Cowering
Scared
My Mother’s Mother’s Heart Shattered

At twenty
I leave home
It’s my life
Leave me alone
Off to Africa
Adventures unknown
Again
My Mother’s Mother’s Heart Shattered

Son #1
Molested
Angry
Striking out in Rage
I hold him tight
Taking in all he puts out
My Mother’s Heart Shattered

History repeats
Shatter
Shattered
Shattering

Son #2
His full lusty cry
Disturbs tiny babes in neonatal
Merconium ingested
Now he must heal
My Mother’s Heart Shattered

Each new event
With child at the center
Abused
Hurt
Held back
Injured
A Mother’s Heart Shattered

Broken into pieces
Busted apart
Violently
Softly
Quietly
Loudly
Too many pieces to know where to start

Reknit
Mended
Made whole once more
Love the adhesive
Guaranteed to restore

At sixteen
My daughter despairs
Life is too heavy
No hope ahead
Ten?
Twenty?
Thirty?
Could it be more?
Tiny white pills
Call poison control

History repeats
Shatter
Shattered
Shattering

We pack her a bag
Hold back the tears
Take her to a place to deal with her fears
She speaks out with acid
Turns down our great love
The lock clicks behind us
As we leave her to heal

What a wonderful thing
A Mother’s Heart is
Shatter
Shattered
Shattering

Restored by our love.


2/14/2007