Independent Lament

A poem for the woman who is so strong she’s breaking

A poem for the woman who is so strong she’s breaking

Photo by Ana Itonishvili on Unsplash

I am so self-sufficient that it hurts
My back breaks and aches
Beneath the weight
Of all the things I can do alone
Like pay the bills
And sort the kids
And cry alone
And hold myself still
Beneath the grief
The weight of age
The written word
And turning page
Watch the way I can d…