Saturday, March 18, 2006

Bitter Awareness

a woman bends
over her child
to place a kiss

on sweet, dark hair;
sweaty with work
and thinking

her lips taste
the salty link

to
past and future
mothers and daughters

right now,
this is everything;

and all she can attend to

not knowing
how many tomorrows
,
if any, remain,
she has no time
for pleasant
exchange;
conversation
meaningless,
vague, and vapid

no words big enough
to explain the way she feels

impatient fear eats at her
like
the poison within -
that arrived
suddenly
like winter darkness,
in spite of taking care,
being thoughtful,

health
y and whole

hundreds of pink ribbons
strangle
her, like tiny ropes
tightening about her heart

bitterly aware,
her mantra
repeats,
endless
and uncontrolled
cut it o
ut, cut it off

Heather Reed 2005

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