Let it Rain

Size: 19 raindrops ranging from 7"H x 3" diameter to 1.5"h 1" diameter

Materials: Porcelain, mason stain, glaze, and handwriting fired on

Prose Poem:
I was born on your birthday. You were so young- 23. A kid having a kid. When I was small you were my favorite person. You’d tuck me under your arm and dive through the ocean waves. I’d hold my breath, the water swirling and pushing around me. I felt safe because you held me tight. But, I was wrong. You let go. I was 32 when I had my first child-and she did not come easy. I had to work for her and her sister. But it was all just handed to you, a family. You said, “ You’ll understand when you’re grown up”. I am grown up and I am bewildered. All that time and love wasted, frittered away for shiny things. I learned from your example and the cost was too high. At the end I felt your remorse, it came in fits and starts. I knew you were wrestling with your choices and the inevitable reckoning. I mourned you long before you died. I knew there would be no resolution. Being a parent is tricky work. My hypervigilance has caused cracks of its own. No one is perfect, let alone the perfect parent. Please know, I realize there was light too. You tried, sometimes. I know. Absolution is not mine to give. I am not a diety or the ultimate arbiter of a live well lived. I have my own mis-steps to account for. The older I get the more I understand, I understand nothing, nothing but this… The only salve is love. Love, just love. Forgive you, forgive me, love sets us free. Forgive you, forgive me, love sets us free. Love, just love.