Eching Question

Since I was a child An unspoken question Has echoed in the hollow Of my body Carved by sorrow – Where were you? When your chubby baby boy Climbed out of his crib and Crawled into the cold bathroom Where he ate Drano and Burned himself with lye – Where were you? When your wily toddler Pulled himself up onto the ledge On the second floor and fell Through the screened window Down onto the bushes far below – Where were you? When your sensitive six year old Sat crying on the seawall before She slipped backwards and fell Twenty feet to the rocky tidal beach Landing in the lone sand patch – Where were you? When your eight year old son Was hit in the head by a hammer Thrown by his nine year old sister Meant for a door, but catching him Instead, blood flowing everywhere – Where were you? When your fourteen year old daughter Confused by the subtle, yet loud Familial messages on sex started Sleeping with multiple men And contracted a venereal disease – Where were you? When your oldest teenage daughter Began riding off into the night With guys on motor cycles Coming home late and high on Drugs and skipping school – Where were you? What I, your grown daughter, now know Is that lost in the oblivion Of your own pain and confusion You left us in the care of a string Of strangers because you loved us. You were there for us As much as you were able – At the end of each crisis Bringing us back From the brink of destruction. We, your children, survived, And became strong On the undercurrent Of your love that I now know Was always there.