what happened to your smile
i see the damage that she has done
she shouldn’t be writing your narrative
yet somehow she has your pen

how have you come to this place
where your smile no longer shines brightly
how have you given away so much power
to a woman who has never worn your lens

this is what happens when you want a mom
this is what happens when the hole grows wider behind your rib cage
you’ll do as you’re told
have your memoir written for you

because you just want a mom
you just want someone to say you matter
you just want someone to see you
even if you have to pay for it

all to fill your mother wound
all for the chance to be someone’s daughter
all just for the opportunity to maybe feel loved
all so that maybe you’ll smile again

you hold onto her diagnostic label
you etch it into your skin
because even though it hurts you
the label is all now that’s left of her

~