the lesson is love (mother's little helper)

the little blue pills
saved her life once
but
she doesn't need them anymore

there's too much talk
to placate the decisions
mothers like her, for advice and support
soldiers in battle together
mothers unlike her, to justify and criticize
unbelieving when she says she's happy

the fourth cup of coffee is
when it hits
some line, some image, some worn-out idea
tried on as new
like jeans
she can't fit into
anymore

she searches for pen and paper
the boy cries, spits-up,
plays
haphazard with the power strip
or the dog's water bowl

so she puts it off
and
the poem may be lost
but the awareness remains

the sun rises
and the day stretches
before her,
the series of feedings,
laundry, coupons, and dinner

someday he'll ignore her
locking himself behind
teen angst and secrecy
and there'll be plenty of time
for poetry and quiet

but for now
he giggles
beckons
she grabs the plastic blocks
and builds a new tower
for a new day