Mother

• Daena Alessandra De Luna, Grade 11, Sefton High School -
• Poetry
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

And she embraced him
Her long withering arms entwined within broad shoulders
Yet all she felt within her grasp
Was a small feeble figure, almost 10 no older
Blanketed within thick khaki green
Dug into her skin but she only gripped tighter
A young boy who has never held a gun
Fighting for a new world, for a life that was brighter
And when she let go
A barrage of obtrusive and aggressive thoughts collided
His young hands would no longer be clean
His innocent eyes only blighted
As though God was ripping a piece of her soul
The immediate regret as her as her arms grew cold
But her smile was warm, though her heart grieved
And waved goodbye, as she watched her son leave.