Love has a Visage

I used to think
Love looked like you,
My first sight to go with my first breath,
You held me like the world rested in my soul,
And no longer on your shoulders,
And when you laughed,
Or sang sweet lullabies,
I thought,
That’s what love sounds like,
And when you cried,
It was the sound of all the hearts in the world collectively breaking,

I remember when I worshiped you,
Put every martyr to shame,
I revered you,
How strong you had become,
When you told me you loved me,
Mom,
It was the only promise I needed,
But you were never any good at keeping promises,
And now I see false prophet,
And I crave the blasphemy of another's hands,
And when I hear love,
It is in the sound of her song,
In their whisper,
In his laugh,
I do not forget that love once looked so much like you,
Nor do I doubt that for you,
Love looked like me once,

But I found prettier things,
I chased them when you stopped singing,
Followed them in wooded places,
And even when they hurt,
When the briars came and tore my flesh,
It stung less than the brambles you left me with,
And when it held me,
It was so soft in its danger,
Knowing that any moment,
It would change its face again,
Sing a new song,

With my first breath,
Came my first love,
Momma,
And I see shadows of you in it now,
When I look at love,
She still has your eyes,
He has your wit,
And their tears no longer sound cacophonous,
There is no more shattering of hearts in their sobs,

But I remember you,
And when Love says I love you,
It is still the only promise I need.