Traces of Mama

I looked in the mirror today, and i saw my mother's face staring back at me. same dark coffee skin, same sad brown eyes- and I began to wonder if we'd meet the same demise. See, my mother died of an alcohol overdose (don't know the clinical name). But I know she died of a wound that wouldn't close...a broken heart to blame. Finding solace in a bottle or glass- trying to drown a pain that seemed not to pass. I thought I would forget what she looked like-the melodic ring of her laughter fades from my memory...until I laughed! that laugh I thought I would never hear again rose from my soul, it felt good, cause there stood- Mama; not sad, but full of life, and love. Happy that through me she remains- so I no longer strain to place a face that through His grace I live. No longer worried or concerened with how or when my life would end...and then my only child walks past; and before i could wonder if I will fade from her memory...I realized that one day, She'll look in the mirror and see my face... and be glad time couldn't erase me from her memory. When she smiles, it's just like mine. I take it as a sign- our rich cocoa faces will grace generations leaving ebony traces..of..MAMA!