A Letter to the Woman who Raised Me

Dear Mom,

You have raised me to be strong as hell

You’ve taught me not to take shit from anyone 

And I mean anyone 

Including you

Mom

You made me work hard

You told me to believe in myself or nobody else would

Not even you

Mom

I learned that my grades don’t matter

As long as I try my best

But I have to keep them above a 90 

For this to be true

Mom 

You ask me why I spend the summer as far away as I can

You tell me you miss me

And then I get home and I can’t escape your screams anymore

Mom

You tell me to get out of my room 

That my room is like a soundproof bunker 

For emergencies only but if I’m spending so much time in here

does that make all the time an emergency 

Mom 

I can stand up for myself 

When other people tell me I’m not good enough 

I know because you made me learn 

Mom

You tell me that I don’t need to be afraid 

Then you scream in my face for not being more careful 

Mom 

You’ve never hit me 

But when my baby brother doesn’t do as he is told, he loses a few hairs to your grip

Mom 

I learned that when someone is yelling

It is safer to stay hidden in my shell

And not give them tears

I save those for my pillow

Mom

I love you

You’ve taught me a lot

Mom 

Sometimes

I think you’ve taught me a little too much

sincerely,

Your Baby Girl

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}

This poem is about: 
Me
My family
Poetry Terms Demonstrated: 

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741