LAURIE HELLER

for my mom

Maybe the ladder looked

like it was ascending.

You climbed it greedily,

a pill for each rung,

orange-blue, orange-blue

Not aware

your world

was inverted,

clawing upward,

you fell deeper

into the thorns.

DROWNING ALONE IN LIGHT

You were in a dark place 

and I needed you,

even as a thundercloud,

You could have rained on me:

children need water

I found you

hiding under covers,

you forgot

to lock your door

your mind partially erased,

saturated with substance

in your own dark niche,

can I visit?

I would rather

dwell with you in darkness

than drown alone in light