All month we have been featuring the top entries from the 2019 Words Unlocked poetry contest hosted by the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings. This poem, by D.A.C., was the winning entry.
What I know for sure is that my mother
loves me,
but her addiction might be forever.
What I know for sure is the sun
will come up tomorrow,
people will die, and life will keep
moving on.
I know that life is hard sometimes,
and some days I won’t want to get up.
A child of an addict craving my mothers’ love,
it makes my heart sick.
What I know for sure is I made a little girl
of my own.
I know I don’t want to cause the same
pain I felt
to my daughter in her life.
What I know for sure is I love
my daughter
with my whole heart.
Running away will never work.
A mother cannot run away.
It only causes more pain.
I also know forgiving my mother and then myself
might take a long time,
but in the end, I need to remember
my mother did, still does, and always will
love me.
Now that I’ve grown up a lot, I’ve come to realize
that I want to love my mother from
a distance.
I know that I can show my daughter that
I love her in a different way.
What I know for sure is I will
break the cycle of drug addiction.
My mother loves me, and because of me,
her addiction won’t be forever,
and the sun will come up tomorrow.
I know if I break the cycle, then
through me,
her addiction won’t last forever.
D.A.C. attends the Granite YES School at theSalt Lake Valley Detention Center in Utah.