Holding Back Tears

Holding back tears, mom tells me we need to talk, and I hear the anxiety in her voice. I catch her nervously glancing at the clock, as she proceeded to offer me a choice. Your father and I are getting a divorce, and you'll have to live with one of us, of course. But before you decide, I want you to know I love you, and it's not your fault if I go. Holding back tears, I listened to all mom said, and I felt my heart break as the moments passed. She was preparing me for what lay ahead, supplying answers to questions never asked. I thought that if either my mom or dad goes, I'd become an inconvenience, I suppose. Time devastates a love that's been split in two, and yet there's nothing that I can say or do. Holding back tears, I rushed into my mom's arms hugging her as if I'd never let her go. Begging her to stay, with all my boyish charms, the held-back tears suddenly begin to flow. Then dad walked in, catching us by surprise, and for the first time, I saw tears in his eyes. But tears weren't the glue my family needed, and my impassioned pleadings went unheeded. (Rispetto) 8/02/2021 This or That, Vol 5 Poetry Contest Sponsored by: Edward Ibeh