"SINGLE MOTHER"

She lies in the summer

and steels in winter,

hiding alone for the crying

and the jolts of ripping.



The children crush her feet

she cries out in pain,

then, regrets the exclamation.

No, teach them compassion,

no, tolerance, no, compassion.



Guilt is the curse

that can't be lifted.

She never gives enough,

she never takes enough,

there is never enough.



Days keep gassing by

the ff>> button is stuck.

She sits on a scroll sawed chair

gazing off to everywhere.

Soon it will all be over

and the coffee on the sill,

as cold as her body.

By
Christine L. Reed

Christine L. Reed is an artist, poet and freelance writer living in Tranquility, NJ with her two children. She is the editor of Maelstrom, a literary magazine featuring art, poetry, short fiction and humor. She is also the assistant poetry editor for Moondance. Her work has appeared internationally in many magazines, anthologies and e-zines. She has pieces forthcoming in MeatWhistle Quarterly, The Poet's Attic Quarterly, Liquid Ohio, Penny Dreadful Press and Parnassus Literary Journal.