Sacrifice:
to offer, to surrender…to give freely of yourSelf…
to and for the sake of things or
people,
for your devoted love and value of
them.
My sacrifice may not be yours, nor
yours mine.
ours are ours, and to take away the
love of either’s,
for personal motives, understood or
misunderstood,
leaves room for Self-evaluation;
in life, as mothers and as parents,
most of us, we do the best we can
manage,
though in living it, some tend to
pass judgments,
without knowing each other’s
circumstances;
you see, I may sacrifice my lunch for
my child’s supper,
you may have sacrifice your evening
for a second job to keep suppers,
I may sacrifice my evenings for
chaperoning & participating…
at band, strings, and sports events,
You may have sacrificed those same
activities for your peace…
You may have sacrificed those events for finances, in which you had to
work…
& many of these, you just couldn’t
reach…
I may struggle with finances to keep
mine active and of the streets,
while you worked & had to take
the risks of leaving us house to house for keep,
until the oldest could raise the
youngest,
& then I was the piece of peace
keeper…
you see your preachin’s of “keepin’
your pants up and knees closed”
“cuz you ain’t bringin’ no babies in
here for me to raise”
never went too far…
they reproduced more than just child,
but resentment of the fact, that I
felt I was raising yours…
as a child, not understanding
sacrifices,
nor wanting to, when you’re dealing
with touches unpleasant,
& threats from low-life peasants,
then, My peace never came….
answers nor understanding never came…
after a while, a gift of life did,
reality hit a homerun,
& your replay in my head
stopped……
Not recalling when my childhood
started,
but “My” life had begun
I may run my like I’m in a marathon
going for the gold,
Like a rugged dog,
the sun’s rays making the end look
nearer,
the pavement looks like the water is just
a lil’ bit closer,
yet the race is nowhere near its end,
to be home when my babies are home,
and home when they’re asleep,
while you singly worked sometimes two
jobs,
to care for the lives of three,
& I was taking care of your two;
Your sacrifices, the surviving single
Mother,
doing the best you knew how,
You did the most salutary of “Your”
Being,
Mine come, a married Mother,
of Today, doing the best I can,
to love from the knowing of Your
strength,
not the callings of what some may
consider Your error,
the error is of the ignorant,
malformed minds, of those you entrusted,
& entrusted,
in which, now I cannot.
Who would I be?
What of a Mother would I be to repeat,
yet not learn of the paths We’ve walked?
I’m making My own sacrifices that
work on My journey.
I “will” give up my plate.
I “will” stay up late.
I’ll go sleepless nights.
I’ll superlatively climb all heights.
I may not pass your test,
but I’ll be here to make sure they
pass theirs.
I may not make “every” concert, every
tournament, or every game,
but I’ll try.
I will sacrifice my rest, to show my
face.
I will sacrifice my weariness, to
take my place.
In the stands, in the bleachers, on
the floors….yelling their names,
letting them know,
“Mama sees you!!! I’m here!! You can
do it!!”
I’ll sacrifice my life!!!!
& I no longer blame you,
as I did, when I was a child.
the sacrifices you chose are no
longer mine,
the ones I choose aren’t yours…this
will be my fine.
“You” did the best that you knew….
What you had to do…..
Know that the memories I don’t own, I
will instill into mine,
the ones I retain, I will kill to
prevent,
Don’t you condemn me for the weight
of My Own will,
Sure the force gets grave,
And let it bury me in the Earth!
But I’ll sacrifice “My” life, for the
lives that I birthed!!
In Your sacrifices of love, for
financial stability
& a lil’ piece of Your own peace,
Unwillingly, You sacrificed pieces of
me,
I can only speak for the 1 child of
3,
I can only speak for me,
we all have our own story to tell,
My lessons, I learned well,
when another man’s work day extracts
too much from My child,
That’s when My sacrifices to them are
done,
it will be time to put that chapter
in the file.
©LeTisha.Woods.Bowie 8/11/12
