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Mother

Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)

my mother's eyes
a roulette wheel,
spinning with each cruel joke.
I learned to wear a smile like
a bruise that won't cure.

in the mirror a
stranger's face,
a painted-on grin that cracks
at the edges where the truth
seeps in like a slow flood.

About this poem

This poem is a powerful and emotional expression of the speaker's experience growing up with a mother who was emotionally abusive or toxic

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Written on May 26, 2024

Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 26, 2024

16 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXXX XXXXX
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 245
Words 53
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 5, 5
Full analysis for Mother »

Joe Strickland

Writer from South Carolina. Recently signed first publishing contract and is waiting for release date of first collection of poetry. I've never written a poem while completely sober. You can follow me on Twitter/X @JoeStricklandAU more…

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    "Mother" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/188308/mother>.

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