.
.
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mother’s day 2021
two calls made at
8:51am and 8:01pm
went unanswered
between those times
a heron watched
you both play with your
friends at a park
and then evening rains
absorbed your
joyful screams
masks of disappointment
worn to bed couldn’t
be taken off
“you guys tried, you called,
it’s not your fault she didn’t
pick up, you tried twice.”
another day x’ed
off the calendar
.
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About the Author: Tohm Bakelas is a social worker in a psychiatric hospital. He was born in New Jersey, resides there, and will die there. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, zines, and online publications. He has published 10 chapbooks. He runs Between Shadows Press.
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Image Credit: Jacob Byerly “Portrait of a Woman” (1855) Digital image courtesy of the Getty’s Open Content Program.
As It Ought To Be 