"Transactional Love"

 

 
 

A matriarch
Dead eyes behind false smiles
With hugs that suffocate
She demands reciprocity
Mother’s love contains conditions
Which child adores her?
Places her above all
Kneels before her in supplication
Begging for love  
 

A patriarch

Cold heart behind deceitful charm
With praise that stabs
He commands compliance
Father’s love requires accomplishments
Which child shines brightest?
Gives him parental status
Rises before him with conceit
Pleading for attention 

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

“Background Noise”

 

            Sometimes, when I sit down to write, I’ve no idea what words will appear on the page. My diligence to my craft means I put pen to paper every day (or in this case fingers to keyboard) and simply write. Many of my journal entries recount mundane trivialities of a simple life, some dip into a distant past while others slip into a hopeful future. My thoughts may focus on something currently in the news, but it’s just as likely for me to focus on the fact that it’s Friday—again.

            Then those days come where I shove aside all of the ideas that pulse in the forefront of my attention and spend time concentrating on sighs, the impatient pant of the dog laying at my feet, the distant drone of the dryer as it whubs—background noise that lets me transcend the ordinary.

            Then I hear the words whispering to my subconscious. Soft. Seductive. Evasive. A whiff of perfume that lingers in an empty room. And I hold my breath, fearful that the slightest movement would frighten my words into flight. Send them scurrying back and deeper into darkness.

            So I hunker down on my haunches, hand held outstretched with palm open in supplication. I practice patience. Wait motionlessly, head cocked to the side so I can perceive the words surrounded by heartbeats.

 

Copyright 2014 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman