Post by Saphira on Oct 1, 2010 17:11:20 GMT 8
OOC: This poem was inspired by a scene I witnessed between my grandmother and mother.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When They Fight
When they fight
Words tossed about
Like gleaming daggers
Intended to wound and harm
What would you feel?
When they fight
And you’re caught in between
Both family
Both kin
What should you feel?
Is it possible
To be neutral?
To be Scotland
As you watch them both?
They show no respect,
No sensitivity
Both caught in the throes of anger
Frustration
Indignation.
Hot, calculated words
Designed to spurn the other
And the child,
The cause of this battle
Sitting sullenly aside.
Is it possible to remain impartial?
To objectively watch them both?
I wish I could,
I really do,
But my heart grows cold.
The grandmother,
Doting and loving
Protecting the boy
From the furious storm.
The mother,
Defiant and indignant,
Points a finger
Telling her to go.
It’s not your place,
Mother says.
It’s not right,
Grandmother retorts.
Here they go again.
Tossing their words back and forth.
Will it ever end, I wonder?
As the battle draws to a close.
Get out,
Mother screams,
Wrenching open the door.
And never come back!
A nod,
A dignified exit,
The door slamming shut
With a sense of finalty.
I watched,
Aghast,
At the retreating back
Of my Granny dear.
Too late,
Far too late.
I should have done something,
I should have said something.
Many times this has happened,
And though on the surface, it mended,
The deeper web of cracks
Never grow smaller.
I’m sorry Granny,
Mother should never have treated you this way.
She took you for granted,
That is all I can say.
I’m sorry Mummy,
I know you were upset.
Granny simply could not understand
You tried your best.
And the cause of all this strife?
The not-so-little boy
Sitting quietly aside.
Silent.
Unrepentant.
Unremorseful.
When they fight,
The battle is not only theirs.
Suddenly,
Everyone has to take sides,
And the divide is being drawn.
So Mummy,
Granny,
Please don’t be mad.
I love you both.
Please don't make me choose.
I’m sorry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When They Fight
When they fight
Words tossed about
Like gleaming daggers
Intended to wound and harm
What would you feel?
When they fight
And you’re caught in between
Both family
Both kin
What should you feel?
Is it possible
To be neutral?
To be Scotland
As you watch them both?
They show no respect,
No sensitivity
Both caught in the throes of anger
Frustration
Indignation.
Hot, calculated words
Designed to spurn the other
And the child,
The cause of this battle
Sitting sullenly aside.
Is it possible to remain impartial?
To objectively watch them both?
I wish I could,
I really do,
But my heart grows cold.
The grandmother,
Doting and loving
Protecting the boy
From the furious storm.
The mother,
Defiant and indignant,
Points a finger
Telling her to go.
It’s not your place,
Mother says.
It’s not right,
Grandmother retorts.
Here they go again.
Tossing their words back and forth.
Will it ever end, I wonder?
As the battle draws to a close.
Get out,
Mother screams,
Wrenching open the door.
And never come back!
A nod,
A dignified exit,
The door slamming shut
With a sense of finalty.
I watched,
Aghast,
At the retreating back
Of my Granny dear.
Too late,
Far too late.
I should have done something,
I should have said something.
Many times this has happened,
And though on the surface, it mended,
The deeper web of cracks
Never grow smaller.
I’m sorry Granny,
Mother should never have treated you this way.
She took you for granted,
That is all I can say.
I’m sorry Mummy,
I know you were upset.
Granny simply could not understand
You tried your best.
And the cause of all this strife?
The not-so-little boy
Sitting quietly aside.
Silent.
Unrepentant.
Unremorseful.
When they fight,
The battle is not only theirs.
Suddenly,
Everyone has to take sides,
And the divide is being drawn.
So Mummy,
Granny,
Please don’t be mad.
I love you both.
Please don't make me choose.
I’m sorry.
© 2010