Friday, March 31, 2023

"Mother's Clone"

 



cradled gently in her arms   
Mother bends her head close to Child   
her finger feathers the pure smooth cheek     
her hair becomes a sheltering shield   
protecting them from prying eyes   
in syncopation Mother and Child breathe   
one without the womb   

Mother’s eyes mist as Child’s hair darkens   
her mouth becomes a rigid line     
when bluish eyes turn brown   
her voice takes on ice     
when others note differences   
in syncopation Mother and Child breathe   
one without the womb   

Mother’s heart hardens   
her Child wields her wayward will   
with terrible temper tantrums   
fists and teeth and legs fighting   
struggling against Mother’s programming   
in syncopation Mother and Child breathe   
one without the womb   

desperation drives Mother’s dissatisfaction   
she tethers Child with demands   
her fears feed phobias and fictional afflictions   
her disappointment distorts her love   
her rejection rips through Child   
in syncopation Mother and Child breathe   
one without the womb


Mother and Child stab and wound   
pushing and pulling in tangled bindings   
never severing the umbilical cord   
they dance in macabre madness   
enmeshed and ensnared within their love-hate trap   
in syncopation Mother and Child breathe   
one without the womb

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

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