Underground

A Mother’s Love

The chemicals hit again
Combining withdrawals

Indicating she was infected
From the advanced heroine

Love’s trust having delved
Trying to save relationship

Discarded without recompense
Like a whore’s need left begging

Cast into poverty among
Liars, thieves, and beggars

She fought against sludge
Clogging conscript arteries

Refusing access or pursuit
Determined they’d overcome

Hell’s damnation unasked for
Would not take children’s blood

Vampiric Tendencies

Rights Of Passage

The adults had warned her to forget about the painting.

If anything, they said, she should only remember the conflict portrayed in the man’s face – and keep that as a warning reminder to never venture into exploring her ancestry’s history.

But one thing she knew had became undeniably clear to her the moment she had seen the man and the woman he carried in his arms.

The woman had had such a look of pure and content happiness in her slumber – like all of the world’s cares had been removed from her now smoothed brow, where only the faintest of worry lines could still be seen in the dimmed corridor lighting.

Somehow, she knew that this joy was because the woman had been given the choice to choose her own destiny.

And she had chosen to be with the man she loved – finding the choice to be worth any risks that the adults were warning her of.