rage of mothers

you
suffer
with your children

as you watch
them wilt
under
the indifferent eye
of their
father
his words
like knives
thrown
straight at the
heart

you see on
tv
every day

yet

another

man

facing time
for

yet

another

crime

against a woman
and he gets off scot-free

a finger wag
"don't do that again"
slap on the hand

and

off
he
goes

while mothers are left
to mourn their
daughters

and their daughters
mourn
who they were
BEFORE

if they didn't die

your children look at you
with
eyes that
scream
why didn't you save us

i could not even
save myself

i would not
leave you
in that barren
place
to face the
endless
pain
alone

the rage of mothers
is an
infinite well

drink from
it

drown