when you’re young your thoughts are limited; toys, cartoons, candy, playing

mine, however, were just restricted; medicine, eye drops, doctors appointments. her vision was fading

at the age of five, it’s hard to understand your mom is going blind

 

when your mom might have drove you everywhere you went

my mom couldn’t drive. she drove me to the store through things like the cold 

when your mom was with you at school during things like Christmas or Valentine’s day events 

i was alone, and the concept of why my mom couldn’t come didn’t take hold

 

people never understood or knew, but maybe 

the way you were wondering if you made the cheerleading team or not, 

was kinda like me anticipating the results of if my moms surgery failed 

 

or perhaps it wasn’t alike at all, because just as you were learning to read 

i already knew how to interpret the bill statement 

and by the time you learned to write, 

i could write my own checks 

and when you were at some party this weekend 

i was probably grocery shopping 

 

so when you look at me, you can’t see the way i had to grow up quickly

but at least you can look at me, because my mom barely can

 

however, my mom deserves nothing but my praise

for all the struggles she went through unsighted, the strife

she told me she doesn’t feel the need to see 

and her strength alone gets me through all my fears in life