What I Learned From My Mother

What I learned from my mother
Was how to be insecure...fragile and unsure
I learned what its like to not be loved
I learned about impatience and intolerence
And while I watched other mothers teach kindness,
compassion, and heartfelt generosity
Mine taught unforgiveness, ruthlessness and shame
What I learned from my mother
Is what a marriage should never be
And how to make a family disagree
What I learned from my mother
Is insincerity...vanity...brutality
I learned to lie
I learned to cry
I learned to feel ashamed
I learned to close my heart and live
continually afraid
What I learned from my mother
I passed on to my daughter