3/13/31

my mother was a beautiful woman
i wish i knew her better
the angst of adolescence pushed us far apart
the 60's was a decade of division
i never knew how to cross the divide
my own sense of self - the bridge - was fragile
a facade that couldn't hold the weight
but i began to know her bit by bit
i used all my strength to face the demons of my youth
haunting me, keeping me from knowing myself
but the demons shrank
to take their place among all the seeds of potential
greed, envy, anger and hate were kept small in the wake of awareness
love, kindness, generosity
growing as a weeping willow spreads its branches
but in the course of my own development
my beautiful mother passed away
it was too late to share the joy
unbounded by a past of pain
to laugh without edge
to listen without a grimace
to love without agenda
i have some prized possessions
sprinkled throughout our home
little symbols of the massive love
she held beneath an exterior of conformity
i had a beautiful mother
i know her much better now
i love you, mom