Looking through Circumstances
is a study of sorrow-
black sparrow eyes are somber lit
checks are red rouged to hide
skeletal shoulders slumping slowly
she hardly notices dappled morning light
nor flowers blooming fresh by her chair-
her eyebrows are stitched to worries
over the dollars she sends every 2 weeks-
her family leans on her-
husband, child, mother, siblings, nieces &
nephews, the list of needs is long
when all she wants to do is travel back home
& be a mom & wife & eldest daughter instead
of primary breadwinner
in a foreign country, working as lowly
paid migrant, where her alcoholic absentee father's eyes
are blurry, hers is firm in faith, unmeasurable
where her husband's chin is frail, hers is iron pointed -
every night, she prays that she stays healthy
enough to work & save, work & save -
last time i saw her, I reminded her of the silly
things we did when she stayed with us briefly
& for a moment, she was young carefree
woman with flowers clipped on her hair-
if i had a paintbrush, i'd have framed this moment
to remind her
the sun is blushing yellow & vibrant
- & for me, an instruction that this is a gift -
Posted for OpenLinkNight of D'verse Poets Pub ~ Thanks for the visit ~
I will be featuring this artist this weekend at Real Toads ~ Watch out for it ~
Shared with WriteEditPublish- What's in a Face ~
