"Your Silence"

 

I have no excuse for hurting you
Saying
“I didn’t understand”
doesn’t erase your pain
When you stripped bare
our differences,
I built a defensive wall
to shelter our friendship
to protect us from the World’s invasive
discord and discontent
I begged for less
Your silence honors me

Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"Mama Bear"

 

She cried with joy the first time she held you   

         felt your solid reality   

         inhaled your scent     

Every cell yearned to nurture, protect, defend   

She tried to create a perfect world   

         safe within the forest   

         with cuddles at night   

         sunbeams and moonshine   

         a life of Magic   

She fought with all her strength—   

         tooth and claw—   

         to secure your future of limitless possibilities   

         battled viciously against attacks   

         as you gathered your own power   

She taught you to survive   

         forged endurance and tenacity into your spirit   

         so you can dream   

         so you can do   

         so you can be   

 Copyright 2012 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman