A Mother's Tears

A mother’s tears
My necklace make.
They link the years,
An old keepsake.
Each baby cry,
All childhood falls,
Your grown goodbye
Or dream that stalled.
Each smothered hope,
Rash driving spree,
When you eloped
Wrought  anxiety.
Your quick retort,
Derisive laugh,
More links did forge,
More tears did graft.
Stilled parent’s voice
When heart won’t bend,
Her child’s wrong choice
Or untrue friend.
A mother’s fears
Set her apart
And keep her tears
Close to her heart.
Each one a part
Of a growing chain,
Within her heart
Woes linked remain.
They fade through years,
Almost depart,
But a mother’s tears
Adorn her heart.

first published in Midwest Poetry Review

also published in Illinois State Poetry Society