Poignant memories from long ago,
Before my eyes could watch you grow,
I remember the nights that you were born.
Soft lighting in a small drab room,
Previous attempts at birth leaving a trail of tombs,
And broken dreams.

But both of you emerged,
As the picture of health.
You were born into love,
 But you were lacking in wealth,
And at long last, a family took shape.

I have loved you more than life itself.
I pray each night for your lasting health.
I have tried to scarifice all of myself
For you,
And now you are gone.

Young eyes will absorb
All that surrounds them,
And soon you saw anger and mayhem,
Between your mother and I.

But still you matured,
Amidst the absurd.
For love gone awry
Casts a sinful eye,
On all who are caught in its web.

As we moved through our lives,
Your affection became the prize,
And the field of battle was our home.
Outward appearances, notwithstanding,
Intimate scenes of reprimanding,
Left us all frayed and casting blame.

Inevitably, we part,
And share our broken hearts,
From thousands of miles away.
And I find myself trying to comfort my soul,
Suffering in the loss of my diminished role,
And seeking to understand how it all went wrong.

Gentle love can never be broken,
From words that are softly spoken,
But the sounds in our home were deafening.
We answered for our trangressions,
A sad maternal obsession,
Even when there was no crime.

I pray to see in my mind's eye,
That clarity of understanding before I die,
And the knowledge of how it failed.
But the truth is so elusive,
The shoulder of blame is so intrusive,
And it may never be so.

I do take great solace,
In knowing that you are grown,
And I also take great comfort,
In knowing that you are not alone.
But life is a journey of pain and joy,
Too precious a trail to ever destroy,
The bonds,
That forever join us.