SON

I’ve never comprehended her thoughts,
Certainly, if I wore her shoes for a second,
I would have appreciated barefoot,
She wore the broadest yet the most crooked smile of all,
Beneath the blankets is where she drew the mask off,
Cried herself to sleep,
Early while putting on the rags,
With a grinning face, she would turn to me,
“Son go, excel and live well”