by Claire Scott
REHAB
THEY TAUGHT US TO PRAY mother to our lord
jesus for strength mother to refuse
the call of gin of vodka of vicodin
to call our sponsor eat three
meals a day fresh berries mother
& broccoli walk a mile each morning
keep a gratitude journal mother
mine is empty
slaps & screams red welts under sweaters
midnight visitors mother
to keep money coming to keep me in needles
& crystal meth
I pour another glass, fill a syringe &
still I see too clearly
can you call me back mother back
into your eyeless womb
HELP
fourteen hours later
here I am at 201 Lodge Court
Worchester, Massachusetts
a purple Lexus parked outside
I notice the lawn is yellow
the apple trees I planted last
spring—shriveled sticks
Gladys greets me full of good cheer
how-was-your-trip-so-glad-to-see-you
smiling her two gold teeth
drawing me to her ample chest
I notice her ring—an oval diamond
three sapphires flashing
my mother in bed—IV dripping,
pale face, matted hair, nightgown
stained with last night’s
soup or pasta
I notice she is no longer wearing
her wedding rings
I lean over to kiss her
she whispers help
CLAIRE SCOTT is an award-winning poet who has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her work has been accepted by the Atlanta Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Enizagam and Healing Muse among others. Claire is the author of Waiting to be Called and the co-author of Unfolding in Light: A Sisters’ Journey in Photography and Poetry.