Remember the time that you walked into the abortion clinic and walked back out — You knew I was made for more Until you were found pregnant in the back of a pickup With your belly Full of drinks And your nose Full of drugs You didn’t let My embryo Stop you From embracing Your life And any fellow Who came your way You were…

Shouldn’t you be over it by now — Yes, I‘m Sad Again I know you said I should be over it by now That mothers die And I shouldn’t dwell on the past I should keep moving, and I do But this time of year reminds me of What I do not have Yes, I am a mother And…

Find a man who is comfortable expressing his emotions and willing to share his feelings. — Don’t come into my house Asserting your manliness Telling me what to do Acting like I am a child I didn’t have a father And I don’t need one now I was made a woman And it wasn’t because Of a man in my life Don’t go perking up Your peacock…

I recently heard someone ask about how to heal. — She said she’d seen all of the therapists and read all of the books, but wondered how to truly heal. Yes, I get it. It gets old re-reading and sharing about all these dark experiences and parts of ourselves. It feels redundant and re-explaining feels pointless. Who will help us come out of these dark experiences and fully heal? There comes a time after all this grueling work when our…

And other words that sting — My mother said on multiple occasions when I was a young girl “If it weren’t for you I would commit suicide,” What does that even mean? Why is life so bad? Minimum wage Abusive boyfriends Low-income apartments Food stamps Addiction Mental Illness Why could she never Find her worth? Do…

Lying on the floor — It was hard to breathe I had to make all of these decisions on my own My mother needed me to be a mother to her I needed to be a mother to myself and my young son You decided to leave And I fell to the floor Money makes…

A story about hypervigilance — They asked her if she had fun and she shrugged her shoulders not knowing the word’s meaning. She may have laughed and let loose a little but that shadow still loomed over her. Her guard was never down. What is fun? She asked. They said fun is when you enjoy…

In 25 years — In 25 years 5 years, 5 times I have yet to let a drink Cross these Rosy lips They have smiled And frowned They have grimaced Out of pain And discomfort They have cried out For a drop But the reserve Was strong And abstinence Won out Day After day …

To my newly deceased grandmother — My grandmother passed away a couple of weeks ago and I just found this in a drawer. I actually wish I would have sent it. So I will share it here, in case it helps another person fight toxic genealogical dysfunction:) I think I just invented that. Grandma Dolly, I…