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Mothers

by LemonySquid


Mothers hate. Mothers love. Mothers confuse and scare. Mothers resent and regret. Mothers worry. Mothers provide, mothers guilt trip. Mothers love. Mothers rarely actually like.

Mothers do hurtful things. Mothers know that the things are hurtful, their mothers did them. Their mothers hurt them. The pain is passed down through generations. They can't hold the pain so they pass it on, give it to the next in line. Pass the crown of thorns to the next daughter, till her scalp is rightfully impaled and she also can't see through the blood soaking her hair and replacing her tears. Then she has no choice but to pass it, place the burden on her precious child, knowing she'll do the same someday, helpless.

She knows what to do, after all, she watched her mother place the crown upon her head, the thorns digging in her fingers. She’d felt the pain as it found its place, wrapped around her own skull. She saw the scars on her mother's forehead as she was given her own. And now she had to give those same sacred scars to her creation, her baby. The thing she’d cared for, poured her life and love into. She couldn't keep the crown but she didn't want to taint her child. Her still unbroken skin, smooth and soft, awaiting the pain and cuts and daggers of her mother's love. That poor child, staring up at her creator, innocent, watching her remove her crown, the blood running down her face, her mother's love, bright red, hot and burning. She watched her grandmother behind her mother, giving sad words of encouragement, “This is what we do, it's how it happens.” knowing the pain, and still accepting it. Not saving the child, but making absolutely sure every young daughter felt it. That was her idea of fairness.


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248 Reviews

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Wed May 10, 2023 1:49 pm
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AkuRashomon says...



I am very happy this is in the literary spotlight. You deserve it @LemonySquid <33333




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248 Reviews

Points: 16305
Reviews: 248

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Fri May 05, 2023 5:14 pm
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AkuRashomon wrote a review...



Hello there. This is Ina a.k.a loveissourgrapes. I know it's been a little while since I've written a review/comment or a story in this site because of busy school days. Well, thanks for this lovely painful yet beautiful masterpiece. Anyways, let's get into it.

The starting seemed nice and welcoming, making me want to read more about it. The second paragraph showed a lot of emotion but the third paragraph showed more. I felt the emotion of how some women struggle on not hurting your child because their mother have done the same to them. Then it becomes generation to another. I do not relate to any of this but this reminds of how strong my mother is. Because her mother has did a lot of hurtful things to her but she told me she doesn't to the same thing that her mother did to me because she really cares for me. You have mentioned that the mothers in your writing do hurtful things to their children because they care and do not know how to show it. Right? My mother told me she will do that to me because experiencing that would be the most painful thing I would experience.

But if anyone's mother has done this. Just be strong. if you really care for your child, just be strong and have go to therapy first. Make sure, before you get married and before you get kids, you are mentally, physically, emotionally strong. And be already to face the hardships about being a parent and a husband /wife. everyone, stay safe. Have a wonderful morning, afternoon, evening.




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Thu May 04, 2023 9:42 pm
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noahfencebut wrote a review...



this is very beautiful. your framing of inter-generational trauma and, more specifically, the mother wound, is very clever—a ‘crown of thorns’. i like the implications of that a lot.

i relate heavily to this work and i think you captured the fear of one day becoming your mother very well. the pain of having to bear your mother’s trauma is bad enough, but it becomes worse when you realise this process is cyclical, and either you fight hard to end the cycle or you give in and continue it. healing from trans-generational trauma is a real challenge and you really portrayed that here.

i am reminded of a quote, i don’t remember who by: ‘every woman is a russian nesting doll of trauma. there’s my pain, then open me up and neatly nested inside is my mother and her pain, crack her open and there’s her mother’. i think i might have seen it on tumblr once, haha. but i think it’s very relevant to your poem.

thank you for this piece. it made me feel very seen.

much love,
noah





Life is about losing everything.
— Isabel Allende