For Strength

Dear Mother who stands so strong
Is this what sowing reaps
If this is the prize for a broken back
I refuse to stoop and plant more seeds
When I was a child I dreamt of sunflowers
Imagined the intoxicating scent of peonies
I thought I was made of rainbows
And that God would never leave
But here we stand in a valley of ash
All the colors have taken to bleed
And where their hue has fled to
That same God has damned us not to see

This must be the chill you spoke of
When I was told to count my gifts
You told me they would run thin one day
And Mother, they finally did
I can turn to flesh for comfort
And I can turn to Script
But what is the benefit of either
When a depression follows their lift
Both will advice me of strength
To fracture another bone
So I can feast on another weed
For that is all strength loans
It will carry you through another day
And they claim that is the prize
But if the days are strung by razor wire
Then for strength, I no longer pine