This Stranger Turned Savior

A poem describing Ethan Woods' endless longing for closure and love. (Part of my short story: Make Me Whole

The sound of her voice, the feel of her touch
endlessly missing throughout my life
A stranger in my own home, I keep losing so much
sleep, love, hope, my tongue as sharp as a knife

I’m tired of the nightmares, ones that keep me awake
I see him beat her, hear her scream, telling me to run
Pushed to the limit without sleep, I think I’ll break
Before I can stop it, he’s killed her, it’s done

What little I know of her, I’m starting to wonder
why I see her bloody, bruised, and broken
I see her, out of my reach, at the sound of thunder
the storm brings her back to me, her life stolen

I heard her speak only once before
only to be mocked by her memory,
As a child I stood behind that open door
watching her, beaten until broken, with no energy

to stand, defend, the image left a mental stain
but she had enough to call out to me
to run, to flee, to leave her, to escape in the rain
that poured down just outside, washing over me

Looking back, the door closes on the dream,
bringing me back here, back to this room
Reality sinks in, and I want to scream
the world as I’ve seen it is more than cruel

Sitting in this hospital, holding a cold hand
I look into the face of the woman I barely remember
I see shadows of that nightmare and I understand
My blood runs as cold as the winds of December

For a year she was my rock, my release, my shoulder,
I’ve seen her strong, seen her weak, I’ve seen her demons
I didn’t understand as a child, I forgot her until I was older
Like my past, my experience, I’ve finally found the reason

I didn’t want to remember, Didn’t want to face her
my past, my secret, it’s all crashing down on me
I hate what she represents, the scars left by my father
and by our shared abuse, our shared past I am eternally bound

Feeling that hand close around mine, I am sent reeling
This place, this time, they all sink in, I’m on solid ground
Seeing her weakened state, I have a sinking feeling
If I wasn’t here, in her deepest grief, she would have drowned

The woman I barely knew versus the one I’ve come to know
She healed me, changed my life, brought me back like no other
She fit that chasm in my heart, she made me whole
This stranger, turned savior, unknowingly, my mother

Author's Note

This poem goes along with a short story I am working on. Some things on this site are beta versions, if interested, message me to learn more :)

Reviews

[wordman]

a touching and sad write,enjoyed it

[Nick.B]

This piece was very emotional, after reading this, it left me speechless, it is a really good piece, you could feel what the author has written in here...great job

[Patricia B. Hepler]

I could see the horror, feel the fear, and felt relief, of sorts, when her savior was her mother.. pat

[DreamWeaver 2154]

Thanks.very much. The lead speaker in this poem was a character from a short story I'm working on currently. Ethan is an interesting character to get into. There is a companion piece called "The Broken One, My Missing Halt" and it is from Ethan's mother's perspective :)

[Chip]

Another great write from you! I was dying waiting for another poem of yours. :) the emotion is in there and I definitely like it!

[DreamWeaver 2154]

I hoped that I could get the emotional bit in there :) It is an attempt at getting into character for my short story :)Thanks for the review :)