A Mother’s Love: A Poem

A poem about the cost of seeking my mother’s love

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Her words cut deep
like barbs of a stingray
sharp and serrated
tearing at my flesh
gouging holes at my heart
precise in its incisions
leaving me wounded and bleeding.

Her disapproval weighs heavy
darkening the mood
shredding my dreams
swallowing my light.

With one fell swoop
she casts aside
my life achievements
with taunts of irrelevance.

Like a beaten dog
tail tucked between the legs
I scamper back to my kennel
chastised for seeking
a morsel of affection or validation.

I brush off her ridicule
no different from before
steel my spine
reinforce my armour
but inside
the little girl weeps
and longs for her mother’s love.