Standstill

Both immovable in our own ways

We stare at each other

Unsure what to do

He stands firm

His stance weighed down

By concrete

He never poured

Terrified

One step in a different direction

Would disrupt everything

He holds dear

I cry out in anguish

Scars manifesting on my heart

Rejection’s searing pain

Instigating the construction

Of a fortress

Securing my heart

Yet severing all connection

With my son

Minutes

That seem like hours

Pass into oblivion

Resolving to become

The mom my son needs

I yield whatever rights I had

I take his hand

Together

Two broken people

Attempting to be

Family

Wounding each other

Loving each other imperfectly

Walking through this life together

Through deep pain

Contrasted by radiant joy

One step at a time