About My Mother

 My mother is

The first one
To jump up
And help out.

She buys the best gifts,
Picks up her friends who can't drive,
Is the first to show at funerals and hospitals,
And always has a fresh baked ziti ready.

She loves to make people laugh.
She is a trained clown for kids,
A master art improv,
And a hilarious stand up comic.

If you know her,
You definitely love her.
You see only the good,
Because you're not her daughter.

You think she's a saint.
A wonderful person.
Did you know that she only bought me gifts
Tied in puppet strings?

Did you know that when I got sick,
She told me to stop being lazy,
Shamed me for not caring for her dogs,
Never showed up with a baked ziti?

Did you know that
When I moved away,
Was homeless and in a medical crisis,
She never checked in, not even with a text?

Did you know that
When my Poppop died,
And the world was crumbling,
She gladly volunteered me for battle?

Did you know that
She told me horrible things
About my sister,
Turning us on each other forever?

Did you know that
She never paid a dime for my education,
Let me struggle through school,
But tells everyone she paid the bill?

Did you know that
When I was 11,
She told me to go to a monster's house
To protect my 5 year old sister?

Did you know that
She saw that monster doing what monsters do,
Ignored our family's pleas to stay with them,
And instead ignored his behavior?

Did you know that
She never apologized,
Doesn't know how to cry,
And has a textbook worth of excuses?

You don't know these things
Because you are strangers
Or people she wants to impress.
You are not her daughter.

So, you can believe me
Or you can keep enjoying the good parts.
It's your choice to befriend a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Just don't say you didn't know, because you do now.