Make Sure to Tell Her

She had waited up for them
Seated on the couch,
ears tuned for the sound
of footfalls on the porch
or the clatter of keys
But they appeared late,
finding her asleep there

Her eyes opening laboriously
and the delight in them
when she saw her son's love
was something he'd remember
The embrace that followed
affirmed his apprehensions
Her desperation he could feel
from his fingertips, in his blood
the same as hers,
and it quieted his hopes

I wish I knew how to help
but it seems she's beyond it
and that's a harsh judgement
for a woman already cast asunder
Papa says I should keep an eye,
make sure to tell her I love her
But God knows,
he ran too