What My Mother Taught Me

My mother taught me much in life

How to be let down,

To keep expectations low.

She taught me how to strive

It's funny, she never did teach me to drive

I know to separate the lights from darks

To fill the sink with the hottest of water

If you don't want spots.

My mother showed me some basic rules

"Don't do as I do, do as I say"

She could scream insanely

And cry on a dime

I've learned wearing your heart on your sleeve

Is the best way to get people to leave.

Words never meant much

And she sure didn't show her affection through touch

I may now be awkward with hugs

But you should see how quickly I can load a U-Haul truck

Because if there is one thing you can rely on,

It is you cannot rely on others to move your stuff.

After it is all said and done, my hat off to her.

With bitterness and love

 I thank her, because

Her methods may have been unorthodox,

But I am grown now.

And will always remember what I have been taught.

The Never-Ending Story

Today, I look at my sisters wounds

I see my mothers scars

Bright pink next to deep purple splotches

Sagging skin under worn-out eyes.

Every endeavor I have pursued

Pulled under, pushed backwards

By these images I cannot lose

 The never-ending story

Their voices plead for pity

With their backs turned towards me

I reach for them, drag their things out

from local bars and motels

Load down my car with their belongings

My heart is lighter, with their burdens

On my shoulders.

Night comes. They do not.

I sit and stare at the carved out spots

I have created for them.

But the closet remains empty,

My heart is heavy

While, just as before, their hurt rips into my own flesh

and tear me apart