A MOTHER'S CHOICE

A MOTHER'S CHOICE

Mother told me everything would be alright,

"Just stay here, your dad will return soon."

She closed the door and to my surprise,

Locked it tight, enveloping us in gloom.

I felt alone, though my brother sat close,

Waiting, as hours slipped by in the shade.

In a closet, our father discovered is there,

With a note pinned to my shirt, a stark trade.

"I can no longer care for them," it proclaimed.

Older now, I've learned of her battles deep.

A life entwined with the darkness of her vice,

Preferences for substances over a mother's keep.

To this day, it stings like daggers drawn near.

Perhaps in her turmoil, she thought it was best.

A mother's choice that should never be made,

Yet we lingered behind, cloaked in this test.

To foresake my children is a fate I defy.

Their love too profound, a bond I'd defend first.

So in silence, I ponder, with weight on my heart,

Did she love her escape more than us, or was love cursed?

The answer eludes me, for she's gone from this Earth,

A victim to the crutch that once gave her worth.