Poets logo

Lessons from My Mom

Sometimes we have to look deeper to find meaning.

By Kara G.Published 5 years ago 2 min read
Like

There are days my skin matches that of a late twilight,

Where clouds blotch purple and blue across a lighter field.

On those days, I put on a long sleeve shirt

And pin on a smile.

I get that from my mom.

There are days that are wrecked by suicide bombers

Engulfed in their own rage,

And I make excuses for them,

Dodging the bullets aimed at the helpless.

I walk outside with a smile,

I get that from my mom.

I have seen abandoned buildings

With flowers that grow between their cracks.

But when those buildings collapse,

No one knows there was ever a flower

Blooming there to begin with.

He is your broken building, collapsing

You are a deep rooted flower,

Always leaning towards light

Unable to see

The rotting corpse of a building

Your roots are planted in.

You walk outside with a smile,

You taught me how to walk outside with a smile,

Lean up towards light,

Pretending that

Cracks

Don’t exist

Unless to support

Our very existence.

I got that from you, mom.

I learned I’m attracted to broken buildings

Because I watched my mother plant a garden in one.

I make homes of haunted houses

Blooming in cracks

No one bothered to maintain,

I forgive walls that collapse in on me,

Remove my own bones to patch broken foundations,

I walk outside with a smile

Hoping the exterior doesn’t appear as broken,

That I don’t appear as broken,

Just like my mother

Never appeared as broken

As I knew she was.

Oh mother, I know you didn’t mean for me to see it.

But now, the only beauty I see is in a fixer-upper.

You’ve taught me how to drain myself into

Things that don’t deserve fixing,

To put on a long sleeve shirt after the nights that burn,

To make excuses for him,

To walk outside with a smile

And pretend I am blooming in a garden

When he is merely a cemetery.

I realize now you are more than a deep rooted flower.

You are blindly trapped inside

Only remembering the days when the sun

Graced your petals

But always forgetting the months

When his walls blocked the light.

But you’ve been teaching me, secretly,

How to save myself

Every day that you ONLY let me see the sun

And never let my roots grab hold

In between cracks.

I am rolling up my sleeves,

I am learning to read between the lines

Of everything I thought I got from you, mom.

inspirational
Like

About the Creator

Kara G.

23-year-old teacher in Baltimore.

I write about my life in stories and poems.

@poetryandsunflowers

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.