DA DA
by Marge Bulmer
He didn't look at me when I was one
I was none
He didn't look at me at two
It was my fault
I had too few
Appealing ways
In those days
He didn't look at me at three
I danced for a glance
He stared
Unaware of my despair
At four
I yearned no more
At five
I didn't care
To be alive
At six
No quick fix
He died when I was seven
I guess he's in heaven
But I'm in hell
He cast his spell
There Are No Mothers
by Marge Bulmer
There are no mothers
Now they are gone
I want her, not her, the right her,
The her she is supposed to be
The her that never was
And now she is dying
Weak and shaking
A skeleton that stares, groans, shakes
Another mother, the other mother, not my mother
There are no mothers, only others
I thought
I thought our marriage was strong
That our love could withstand
Any explosion of anger, any explosion of silence
I thought our love was too strong to crumble
Under the crush of... of... of...
I thought... I thought... I thought...
Now I know it was a delicate balance
Between two vulnerable, fragile lovers
Who could break when the tension reached a pitch
So loud that only silence could compare
To the sound of the cracking, towering, structure
Of the love we built
And called it a marriage