My Mother was not
a happy person
nobody she knew
would describe her
that way

She was a sad
person
who had
happy moments,
but that was
not her state

She tried
to be happy
but that comes
from within
and happy
was just
not who she was

She taught me
to read
she taught me
to write
but happiness
is something
that just cannot
be taught

I remember
she told me
that she had
to learn to be
a mother

Her mother had died
when she was just seven
and her father died
by the time
she reached 14

From relative
to relative
for the next
few years
until she finally
married my Dad

The day after the marriage
my father
went off to war
leaving his bride
alone
once more
to live with
his parents
until he returned

When he came back
he just wasn't
the same
the war had
changed him
he had begun
to drink

She threatened
to leave him
so he gave up
his drink
but she still
wasn't happy
she still
was living
in a house
not her own

A few years later
my sister
was born
a moment of happiness
crept into her life
but it was short lived
she still needed
a life

My Grandfather
died a short while
after that
but my Grandmother
was still
ruling the roost

I was born
4 years after that
another happy moment
fleeting had passed

My Grandmother died
and she was finally
free
but a home
of her own
was still
not to be

We moved shortly
after that time
a house of
her own
was finally
to be

My sister and I
got married
and moved away
She and my Dad
were finally alone

I gave them
a grandchild
and another
after that
I moved further
away

My father was sad
he convinced Mom
to move
closer to me
and my 2 little girls

I had another
daughter after that
he was now getting sick
and had
a heart attack
She now became
the provider
carrying a heavy
load

My Mom took care
of him
until he passed
neglecting her own
health

She was sick
and nobody knew
she was getting older
and still working too

My family then
moved away
we took her
with us
but it just
wasn't the same

She was now
living under
my roof
no home
of her own
just like before

She passed
just as she had
lived
most of her life
living in someone else's
house
no home of her own

03/23/2009

Author's Note: My Mother had a very tough life. Her legacy was her strength, which she tried to pass on to us.

Posted on 03/23/2009
Copyright © 2026 Joan Serratelli