The Thread

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Another rainy day…

Her ten-hour shift is over

It's a two-hour bus ride

And a twelve block walk home

Stopping for two weeks’ pay in groceries that must last three

She stands there for a minute

Tilting her head down 

Wiping the rain off her glasses

Her hands aching from the weight of groceries bags

She looks up and pushes on

Her socks now soaking wet, yet

Her only thought, her only care is

Patiently waiting at home, with

anxious anticipation and fitful thoughts...

"What will mommy bring, I'm so hungry"

"I hope its noodles and cheese"

With a jingle of keys, a kick and a shove on the door

Mommy's home, Mommy's home, she says with twinkles in her eyes

Alessya runs to her mom and hugs her, bags still in hand.

"Mommy" she says with gleeful delight and encompassing relief.

"My darling, I missed you today"

How was school?"

A change of clothes, hair drying in a towel

She prepares noodles with cheese for dinner

As Alessya intently watches mommy's every stir of the pot

A shower and a bath, then a short story to follow.

She tucks her darling in with warm loving hands

"Goodnight my Love, sweet dreams"

The morning's gloom creeps thru the curtains as an alarm rings

She looks out the window still tired from the day before

and sighs, "another rainy day".

Her darling now on the school bus

Umbrella in hand, she hurries the long walk but

just misses her bus. 

It will be an hour till the next.

She will be late for work again.

This is the second time in a month she has been late

"He'll fire my ass this time"

Sitting on this bench, black mascara bleeding down her cheeks

A paralyzing, numbing panic sets in like 

rising shadows of silence

She sits motionless as bus after bus stops then leaves without her.

As if wakened from a horrible nightmare, she hears her 

daughter voice in a whisper says "mommy".

A bus stops.

The driver leans towards the open door and says

"you coming?"

As if pulled like a tide

An ethereal guide

Took her hand and walked her inside

This bus