The little one's bathed, her prayers all said,
Her hair combed and she's finally in bed.
I just got around to brewing a pot of coffee.
The night outside has a fearsome look,
So it's the perfect time to read a book.
Then she comes to ask, "Where is my mommy?"
I smile, "Mommy's late, but she's on her way."
She scowls and says, "I've had a bad day.
Mommy didn't come to school and hear me read."
"Baby," I sigh, "She wanted to be there."
She nodded, "Yeah, I know she cares."
She comes to my lap and asks, "Will you sing to me?
When my mommy's not here, I need someone to be."
The lightening flashed,
And the thunder banged,
And I sang.
It's been hours since she fell asleep.
The mom's not home yet and I'm worrying;
Why didn't she call me to tell me she'd be late?
One AM, the phone rings at last.
Once I hang up, I'm left aghast,
And she's standing behind me, still awake.
"Was that my mommy? Is she coming now?"
I fight back the tears as I kneel down
And tell myself to say something, anything.
I go with her to bed; I can't leave her alone.
I can't tell her Mommy is never coming home.
She snuggles close to me and tries not to cling.
I stroke her hair and softly begin to sing.
The lightening flashed,
And the thunder banged,
And I sang.
Author notes
I don't really have anything to say about this one.
A contest entry
- Simply Sad by Dorcha Runda.
420 points, ended May 26, 2008, 37 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Was the rhythm too far off?
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
-
beautifully tragic
So tragic but so beautifully told. The rhythm was just fine. It flowed well without sounding too forced. My favorite part however was "The lightening flashed, And the thunder banged, And I sang."
-
-
What a Compliment
This is very assuring to me.
After I finished, I realized I needed something to tie it all together, so I added those three lines. I am glad now that I did.
-
-
omg
this emotion is omg i loved it
-
-
thanks. I means a lot that you liked it.
-
-
this is really good, the emotion is strong and the imagery is amazing
-
-
Thank you. I know you really meant it, and that means a lot.
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 6 of 6
