Mother Knows Best

I truly loved the girl
They just couldn't see.
All they could see was her faith
I saw her faith in me.

They put an end to what we had
Before we got the chance to really start.
The may have put a leash on me
But they could never control my heart.

They kept us apart and moved her away.
I never heard from her again.
I made her excuses, but assumed the worst
And tried to be happy for her and her new friend.

I never found another to compare to her
And so stayed single for the past thirty years.
I think of her every passing day
And it nearly always ends in tears.

I forgave my mother just in time
Only shortly before her death.
But I never would have if I knew what she meant
By what she said with her last breath.

"I know now that I was wrong
By keeping you two apart.
It's been so much worse than you even know.
I'm dying of a broken heart."

I found an old shoebox in my mother's things
Filled with un-opened letters from Lorraine.
She kept them from me all these years.
My heart never knew such pain.

She wanted to know why I was trying to forget her.
Did I fall out of love?  Did I find another?
She was so hurt by my not writing back.
I can never forgive my mother.

I decided to call her and tell her the truth.
I needed her to hear what I had to say.
A voice I hadn't heard in thirty years said, "Hello"
It was her eighteen year old daughter Renee.

Up until then I wasn't quite sure
But now I knew what I was doing was right.
Then Renee said, "I'm sorry" through her broken tears
"But she died in her sleep last night."