Mom, Losing Her Job

Mom, Losing Her Job

She's said herself the name of

God,

how Jesus took the beatings "forgive

them" He said.

And now you see her crying, not for you

or for a relative

suddenly gone, but for

herself,

the job she gave herself to

night after night,

something to give her hours

worth

now that you refuse to need

her for more

than laundry and meals.

You see her as the middle child

she is,

with a mother herself

too hard to please,

to warrant a genuine

"that's nice Patty" from

and here they've stamped

her work her hours

her days

Expendable

in blood-red mother's-blood

letters

and all you can puppet,

can mimic with a 16 year-old mouth

is "forgive them"

like you were the strong one

who sat up nights

rocking your helpless,

crying self to sleep

instead of her,

like being Jesus

were as easy as a

Sunday-school picture book.