A vase on the living room table (in a better place)
Mother told me I would grow.
All I had to do was face the sun - if there was any.
It’s not that hard, she said.
Oh! and not to be afraid of the
Fuzzy buzzy yellow things that visit every morning.
They help me grow, she said.
Oh! and always reach as deep as possible,
That’s where all the water was - if there was any.
Mother & father were twice my size.
— I’ve always wondered if I would ever get that big.
One morning I woke up and mom wasn’t there.
She was always in the same spot - Every day,
Every night. She never left our side.
This morning she was gone, vanished.
It was just father and I now.
So many things ran through my head.
— Why did she leave us? Was she tired of us?
Did she find a new family? —
When I asked father, he said it wasn’t her choice.
He explained, sometimes things are out of our
control. Mother was beautiful, he said.
— Every morning your mother would kiss the sun
for 8 hours non stop. She was a really good digger,
her roots extended just far enough to always have
The beautiful ones are always the first to go, he said
He told me she was in a better place now.
I didn’t understand, i’ve always wanted to be
Beautiful — until now. I was certain.
I was certain i was no longer aiming for beauty.
I was going to grab only just enough water,
I wasn’t going to be beautiful like mom - I wasn’t.
I didn’t want to die so soon.
I didn’t want to leave father.
