-Mom-

I miss you, Mom, though the words feel bitter, A taste of love tangled with splinters. You left us, scattered, a fractured whole, Pursuing dreams that called to your soul. Did the path you chose ever feel right? Did it haunt you, alone, in the quiet of night? For I took a stand, trying to mend, The pieces you left, that will not connect. I cannot forgive, but I cannot let go, The ache of your absence, the love I still know. I miss you, Mom, though I cannot pretend, That the wounds you left will ever truly mend. But now I’m older—I see it more clear, You felt so trapped, suffocated by life, You hadn’t yet lived, you hadn’t been free, But your freedom meant leaving us behind, the key. I cannot forgive, but I try to let go, The ache of your absence, the love I still know. It’s clear we’re no longer a part of your song, But, Mom, I’ve carried your shadow for too long.