Andrea, I'm so sorry-please don't beat yourself up over not staying with this man. He alone was only person who would decide to stop the lifestyle he was leading. You did what you thought was right for you and your girls at that time. It's not an easy decision and you second guess yourself the entire time but what life would you all of had staying together? I know mine would have been sober for a minute and he would of been back to the same garbage he had always been doing and I would have allowed it yet again, because I was his enabler amongst other people in his family. My girls needed to be shielded from that world and not think it was acceptable to be at the bar at 11am instead of home spending time with his family. Or partying with some woman and driving my at then 13 year old, speeding down the freeway in a soft top Jeep with coke on him and in him plus alcohol. Your write was beautiful and so very sad but I hate to see you beat yourself up-I'm sorry, I feel like I overstepped. Your poem brought back a lot of memories. Hugs to you-

Andrea

This is such a personal poem and so brutally honest that I find it difficult to comment.
We can - as Brenda says - only ever do what we think is right at any given point in time. Retrospect is a marvellous but ultimately entirely useless tool, in my opinion.

Wherever your soul has taken flight,
please help our ladies find comfort,

^^

These two lines moved me immensely.

By the way, it is my humble opinion that your girls are pretty darn lucky to have a Mum like you.

Take care Andrea,

Ben

Sunny,

This poem doesn't have the technical strength of the majority of your other poems you have written but you know what, it doesn't need it. Your emotion and honesty within your words are what the reader relates with and to be honest, I don't believe that's even something you would be caring about when you have written a poem that is not meant for the world, it's meant for beyond that. I believe this poem is meant to float off into the universe and eventually it will end up in the right hands or heard by the right person.

You are a strong woman, I know your heart has been breaking but I want you to know that you did not fail. My mother is burdened with the same quilt you are every day with my sibling and I watch how much it withers her, do no let that guilt wither you. Your daughters wouldn't want it to.

Much love to you my friend.