Hi Exhausted Fool,
This is a fantastic poem. The tone is filled with resignation and determination. It grabs all the reader's attention and makes them want to read on. The poem is about someone who had a troubled, unhealthy relationship with their mother but did not let it color their lives or their relationship with their own children. My relationship with my own mother has been rocky, to say the least. I have her on the fringes of my life-nothing more. I loved this poem and read to the last word. The free verse works well in this poem, and you have handled it very well. There is a wonderful rhythm here. The poem flows extremely well. It is a pleasure to read. You have used punctuation and grammar consistently in this poem. There is nothing to distract the reader from their reading pleasure. Great job.