Week 3: Without You

[adoptedwriter]

 Without You

 

I sleep independently. 

I work independently. 

I shop,

walk, 

drive

and bathe

all by myself. 

 

I bought a car and a house

on my own,

birthed & raised my children,

and I worked two jobs. 

 

Growing up, 

my fears frustrated you. 

I wasn't the kid you'd expected. 

I was afraid to swim. 

I dreaded falling off a bike. 

It felt impossible to catch a ball

without being beamed in the eye. 

I couldn't hold a pencil right. 

I was klutzy and knocked over things. 

No social graces. 

I was hard to teach. 

I rebelled and was sometimes unladylike. 

 

Still,

you taught me a love for animals,

drove me around when I needed rides. 

took me on trips,

encouraged my education,

saw that I graduated high school & college,

taught me thriftiness & money managemt,

showed me how to do laundry,

& how to make a bed. 

 

Like Mary Poppins, 

you made tasks look easy, even if they weren't. 

You looked after me if I was sick,

& gave me an appreciation for the arts like drawing, painting and writing. 

You passed on your love of gardens,

& you documented our lives with countless Kodak slides,

So that we could always remember the most important things in life. 

 

You’ve been my mom for 63 years. 

You've been helpful but at times a handful,

Optimistic yet pragmatic,

Both conservative yet progressive 

& oh, so determined.

 

Now, 

I face my fears instead of crying & running. 

I'm learning complicated life lessons. 

I have willpower because of you. 

But,

what am I going to do 

one day 

without you?