Motherhood

Attachment

No one else must hold this child,

to shut the windows and blinds,

for her, there is no light, only

the spreading of my palms

against her cheek

to ensure that

she is with

me.

The most precious to us are the

things easily, inadvertently abused,

how oblivious she was to the turn, to

the watering of the wrong root, how love

warped into something more malicious, to

grow into an angry, rebellious entity quietly

stewing, waiting until the moment was ripe.

Fear

No, you may not spend the weekend at your friend's house

No, you may not stay after school to work on your group project

No, you may not go to Denny's after prom - you are only a junior

No, you may not go to Denny's after prom - you are only a senior

No, you may not attend a school out of state - you cannot afford it

And so, the walls tumble in,

they say that the strictest parents

breed the best liars.