Desert Daughter

Desert Daughter She had a daughter in the desert: A daughter who lived near the mountains and palms She loved to take beautiful photos of flowers and birds Hike the cliffs, see the sun rise and set Walk her dogs in the quiet desert air Take trips to the ocean and collect shells But she controlled and manipulated this daughter Causing anxiety that would consume her Always pushing medications, for her to take All this daughter wanted was a mother Who would care, be happy and stand by her side Instead, all her daughter was faced with was guilt The daughter tried to achieve perfection to please her But, nothing would ever be good enough for her So, one day she tried to take her own life As memories of childhood abuse returned Still, this mother kept on with her vicious ways This daughter couldn’t find herself in the desert It was so pretty, but she felt empty inside So, this daughter started on some reckless paths These paths stripped her of her life and well being Until there was no escape, when cancer caught her The palms swayed, the mountains surrounded her As she suffered to her death in a terrible way While she, her mother, still at her side constantly At the end of her life, her daughter was unable to speak A daughter who tried to fight death as hard as she could There were many close calls before she let go She, her mother, refused to pay for the cremation She even tried to steal her daughter’s money instead Her daughter’s remains were spread in the desert Where the sand blows, the palms sway, nature’s music Beauty remains with her friends there, who were all she had The desert continues to sing her sad song, but beauty remains And in the soft winds through the palms, her words are heard! Words that will never be forgotten across the sands of time! Heidi Sands 1/13/19 *My sister died in 2012