Poetry
By Eurdis Nail Greer
Dear Lord,
When she was just a baby
And got pinched fingers and hurt,
I hurt.
When she got older
And experienced hurt feelings,
I hurt.
Then when she grew up
And out of my arms and into the world,
And hurt for all the things she couldn't have;
I hurt because I had to refuse her.
Even when she chose to go against my wishes
And eventually got hurt,
I hurt all the more.
At times I feel myself growing cold and distant,
Immune to hurt.
Don't let me do this, Lord,
For as long as I hurt,
I care.
Lord…
I feel like such a failure with my children.
They look to me for guidance
and find a floundering, insecure child instead.
Sometimes I feel they're the adult
and I the child.
Help me to remember that all knowledge comes from you,
that parents are but representatives of your wisdom and love,
that we are all your children
in different stages of learning and growth.
Remind me that I am to be
what I want them to become...
And thank you for listening to me with such patience,
as I should be showing mine.