Single Motherhood
Single. Mother. Hood.
Single while mothering in the the hood
Mothering self and another at the same time
There are so many layers.
There are so many stories, and roles, and programs
We can select and inherit from the label of “single mother”
There are many common realities about the struggle, the internal and external battles that we as mothers face raising children (mostly) “alone”
I have support. I have a group. I have a family
I still feel alone.
I still feel this weight to heavy to bear
I battle with my mental health
I fall victim to myself and go down the hole
I try and raise myself back up
I sometimes fail
I sometimes like to stay
for comfort
In the story, that makes everything around me
the reason for my feelings/state/well-being
I fall victim to the story of the suffering
I can’t see my way beyond It
I cope with sleep, sex, and food
I cope more sleep and sex and more food
I cope with trips and shopping
I cope with instant gratification
I cope with lingering into other realities
via social media or through dreams
I cope with having real internal moments with self
I cope with writing my truth and being brave and sharing it
I cope with acknowledging all the bullshit
I cope with being gentle with myself
I cope with therapy and sometimes yoga and breathing and resting
I cope with massages and taking time for self
I celebrate myself
I put on make up for me
I dance in front of the mirror
I look at me straight in my eye
I remind myself of my power and my grace
I see the beauty of my soul
Being brave, and raising a beautiful bold courages daughter
I celebrate how far i’ve come and how much more there is to grow
I embrace this moment
As the only moment that is real
Regardless of the bullshit,
If we are co-parenting this week or not
I still enjoy this
I still love this
I am learning how to do this better
Each and every day
Showing up for her and for me
Bigger, better, stronger
With more knowledge of self
Trusting the whisper of my soul
Mothering. Alone. In the Hood.
Single Motherhood.