She won’t cry if she doesn’t see me leaving

Graveyardshift, late night drive droopy-eyed
Through diesel-blanketed diamond
Dazzled city center lakefront.
I wanna to go too!

I havework tonight, sweetheart.

Juggling bitterly black coffee
Shuffled on top of her stethoscope
Sans bedtime stories andgood-night kisses
I’m a big girl now.

How ‘bout ahug ... ?

One filled with hints of latex and death
Cleverlymasked with her passion plum make-up

Hands cracked andbloody
Solely from the efforts she gives,
Not for herself, but foreveryone else ...

But

Living with the porcelain-facedwind-up doll
Being six, prohibited from playing and pretending

With Mommy ...

Ever ready to dance her perpetualroutine
I grew up to love the 24/7, beautiful, tired, mothering
Workaholic.