What Do You See?

When you look at her, what do you see?

Image from the Graphics Fairy.

Do you see the mother of three whose 
Partner locked her in the bathroom, 
In the dark, because
She could not contain her rage, and
He was afraid?

Because he could not contain her,
He turned his back on all four,
Sailed away on his motorcycle, and
Left no forwarding address.

When you look at her, what do you see?

Do you see the nursing mother who does so
At her own risk?
She cries and sobs the whole time
Cringing at the pain in her cracked and bleeding nipples.
She hands her newborn babe to the closest waiting arms, and
Curls herself into a ball on the chaise.

Five minutes pass, and
She calls out, "Bring her back! I need her in my arms."
She pleads, "Can I have my baby?"
The desperation, the primal need to see
What she has created but cannot contain.

When you look at her, what do you see?

Image from the Graphics Fairy.

Do you see another dancing in the corner
Holding her babe in her arms
Rocking her to sleep? 
She twirls as her mind whirls
Out of control.

Do you see her wake in the middle of the night?
The babe is not crying
No one else is awake
Except the cat.
She sneaks out to the patio, 
Lights a cancer stick, and
As it dies out, she collapses on the concrete,
Rolls herself into a ball, and
Wishes herself out of existence?

When you look at her, what do you see?

Do you see us as we come together in a wide open room
With a therapist, our baby gear, and
We talk in turns
We feed our babes
We smear the snot and tears across our cheeks.

We share a common bond that we do not want
To have, or
To share,
But we must.

Otherwise, PPD would kill us.