Rae

This poem is about my mother. She walked out on us when I was 15.

This is the story of a girl named Rae
Who worked hard each and every day
Took care of her brother like he was her own
While their mom sat up and drank all alone
Dad was in jail, for the rape of a girl
And the day he left it changed their whole world
Her mom had problems, over which she lacked power
Some days she’d find her, wrists slit in the shower
Things kept getting harder, the days longer
She didn’t know how to stay stronger
‘Til finally one day, she joined the service
She left her little brother with their mom for this
An unstable woman, taking care of her child
With bi-polar disorder, the case more than mild
New ideas in front of her, things her mind could entertain
Her foot stuck in a pothole, a man killed by a train
In front of her eyes, she saw the man jump out
Blood and guts everywhere, body parts flyin’ now
Here it seems this story, her life gets better
But she’ll try and fool you, don’t let her
She met the guy she was meant for, the one meant for her
But until he’d quit drinking, life would be a blur
He’d hide the bottles and keep the secrets to himself
And the day of their wedding, he’d feel like wealth
He’d keep telling her all was well, and getting in deeper
After the first was born, he thought for sure he’d keep her
Then he said no more, he’d wanted only one
So she’d lie and tell him, of course, you know we’re done
Then along came two, one he hadn’t wanted
She’d lied about being on the pill, and never would she flaunt it
Then came three, and eventually four
This was more than he bargained for
After two of the four had grown, she thought she needed more
So, here’s where the mom walks right out the door
One in middle school, one in sophomore year
Never did they think their mom would leave without a tear
The paper on the table, yellow with blue lines
Said she was gone, said she didn’t have the time
Months went by, and the two girls grew
Only with their dad, it was their mom they hardly knew
He’d swing by her work, and leave flowers in her car
Though he’d drive, she wouldn’t take him back, no matter how far
He found out she had a new family, and then he gave up
No matter how much he loved her, he couldn’t be enough
So she lived her life, a new place with new kids
She never looked back, never thought of what she did
He lived his life one day at a time, with a bottle in hand
Until it was the drinking his kids just couldn’t stand
So, he vowed to quit, and he stopped all together
But he couldn’t stop thinking about how to forget her
The sophomore cried at the thought of a song
And she thought all the time, had she done something wrong?
No, they always said, they told her so many times
Just keep letting go, keep writing your rhymes
She took over the holidays, putting her family first
The things that came out her dad’s mouth always made her feel the worst
He said some things, things too bad to mention
But always the next day, all was forgiven
They lived their life, with no mother at home
And the older daughter always feeling alone
She never came back, like she said she probably wouldn’t
And forgive her for that, they just couldn’t
So here ends the story of a woman named Rae
Who all of a sudden, just ran away

Author's Note

This was on one of my old profiles.