Sharon Munson
Torn by Love
I linger too long in assisted living, afraid
Mother won’t find the dining room, will get
lost in unfamiliar passages, miss dinner. I
stay with her through the main course, leave
when dessert is served. Now, heading home
in heavy rain, I am stuck in six o’clock
traffic, the car inches along this dismal
drizzly evening.
I know my sweetheart will be waiting
patiently, sipping a glass of red wine,
listening for the garage door to open. Self-
reproach raises its bitter head. I am torn by
love in both directions.
mist over the valley the moon's face masked
About the Author
Sharon Lask Munson is a retired teacher, poet, old movie enthusiast, and lover of road trips, with many published poems and several books of poetry. She says many things motivate her to write: a mood, a memory, the smell of cooking, burning leaves, something observed or overheard, and of course, imagination. She lives and writes in Surprise, Arizona. www.sharonlaskmunson.com.
Sharon, I was the caretaker for my mother, “torn by love in two directions.” Your poem captured fully how I always felt as I left her assisted living facility. It’s like you were inside my head. Thanks for helping me relive those dreadful feelings so that I can heal.
Familiar territory for me as well.
The guilt I feel is knowing my child may have to walk in those same footsteps. I’m sad for him already.
Well done Sharon.
Donna Kahler