Seeking someone to fill
perfect mother vacancy.
Must be very good-hearted,
but not so good as to cause
feelings of inadequacy.
Must be happy,
but not so happy-go-lucky
as to cause
feelings of jealousy.
Must be self-sacrificing,
but not so selfless as to
teach the wrong message
about boundaries.
Must be brilliant,
but not so brilliant as to
make it impossible to
shine in her presence.
Must be friendly,
but not so friendly as to
make it seem impossible
to be that well-liked.
Must teach all the right
lessons about being
successful without
being demanding.
Must be forgiving
without being enabling
and therefore cause
immaturity.
Must be beautiful
without being impossible
to emulate.
Unfillable…never mind.
Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
Susan Shea
Susan Shea is a retired school psychologist who was born in New York City, and now lives in a forest in Pennsylvania. She feels like she is coming alive again, able to return to writing poetry. Susan has been published in Plainsongs, Pudding, The Bluebird Word, and The Agape Review. Recently Susan has had poems accepted for Last Stanza Poetry Journal, The Bookends Review, Exstasis, Poetry Breakfast, and four anthologies by The Moonstone Arts Center:The Weight of Motherhood, by Wingless Dreamer: Darkness Within Me, by Pure Slush Books: Lifespan Series:Achievement, and by Poet’s Choice: Nostalgia.
