mama, what a daughter you’ve raised
she grew up to be a terrible young man
tantrums to the right and
errors to the left he
is the definition of what it means
to be a fuck up,
mama are you listening?
do you hear him cry when others see him smile?
are you proud of him?
mama,
he’s not proud of himself.
the boy’s looking mighty pale
and he’s had fevers as much as he’s taken breaths of air
inside is a storm when others see a rainbow, mama,
he’s not the beautiful young woman
you wanted him to be.
the boy’s been poppin pills then
skippin’ them,
mama the boy’s been spilling red ink
all over the pink baby blanket you got her
her, not him,
he feels like he’s not living up to what you
wanted her to be,
her to be, not him, mama,
the boy’s been heartbroken as much as he’s taken breaths of air
he’s been playing alone ever since he was a little she
at least she knew how to smile
he
he learned how to imitate it just for you,
mama,
are you proud of your little boy?
mama,
he’s not proud of himself.