The Price of a Mother

The Price of a Mother

They warned me of sleepless nights,
tiny shoes and lullabies.
No one warned me hearts grow taller,
or that silence echoes louder.

Not death...

That grief is honest.

This is loving someone
who simply chooses
not to come home.

Another headache.
Another flu.
Another promise
that falls through.

How strange the sickest days
always seem
to arrive
when they involve you.

I gave you everything—
my youth,
my strength,
my dreams.

I filled your life
while emptying mine.

I taught you kindness,
grace,
humility.

Somewhere along the climb,
you forgot
the hands that lifted you.

Now I'm
"not your kind of people."

Funny...

I used to be
your whole world.

Motherhood is a bargain
only a mother would make—
giving away pieces of herself
to raise someone
who may never notice
what's missing.

Maybe one day
you'll understand.

Maybe one day
you'll hear my silence
the way I hear yours.

But by then...

"I'm sorry"

won't bring back
missed birthdays,
empty chairs,
or borrowed time.

Because the saddest truth
I've ever learned is this—

"I'm sorry"

doesn't rhyme

with anything.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

Poem

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