I WAS AFRAID OF THAT
My mother was afraid of everything
She may have been afraid of me
even before I was born
I can almost remember
pulling knees and elbows in
so as not to cause her pain
Afraid even in the womb to whisper
anything she didn’t want to hear
That sort of thing stays with you
Perhaps I should be thankful
for the cliffs I didn’t step off of
too brave and blindly in the night
buy what about the doors
the doors I didn’t open
into rooms filled with light