I walk into the place that I used to call home
Embracing my mother for the first time in forever
But the love doesn’t feel the same
Even though she loves me the same
I am met with the guilt from being away for so long
Dreading her calls when I just want to be left alone
And she still loves me the same
Even when silence is the only thing we
shared
She still cared enough to call

To ask me about my day
Have I eaten
How was work
And when was the last time you went to
church
All of my answers are short
In a rush to get back to my fast life
And run away from hers

The one where she doesn’t have the energy
to cook a meal for a family of 4 anymore
Because she knows she will be the only one
sitting at the table
The one where dishes In the sink and
clothes on the sofa is the only thing that
greets her after work
And the one where even on her worst days
she must pick herself up by her bootstraps
because giving up is not an option when you
are the soul of the family

In my eyes, she is everything I could have
ever asked for in a mother
And then some
She is the only one I know who can read
your mind before you even part your lips
The only one I know who can make a meal
out of a dishrag
The definition of selfless

Willing to give others more while giving
herself less
I know she is doing her best
And for this, I am thankful with a hint of
regret
Knowing the many years of my adolescence
I used to fight and fret
Bitch and moan
From the texts and calls of “ when will you
be home”
Little did I know
She was just tired of being alone