Heavy Metal Mother

craving concrete and iron
to steel this soft flesh and tired bone
against the crushing weight
of being everything to everyone

nerves thrum like guitar strings
amped up to beyond
when the phone rings
and it's you

cut my teeth on uncertainty
raised on chaos and tears
curled up at night with my fear
easy isn't for me

learned there's no saving grace
no knight in shining armor
to come and save me from it all
life is no fairy tale in the end

now just a quiet warrior
leaking words in place of tears
that dried up long ago
when love wasn't enough to fix us all
and I learned to let go

B.Y. Penman 2021