by Bill Climber

Created on: May 28, 2008

*Make Believe Sandwiches*

The unforgiving food stamp line,
so long and dreadful,
like the never ending hallway
from a nightmare some kid just had in a horror movie

She turns away
ashamed that she was there
Her worse fear is the thought
that someone she knows has just seen her in that line

So, she goes home with a heavy heart
and a light plastic jar of mayonnaise accompanied by

two stale loaves of bread, the best stale bread her money could barely buy
The guilt of her own pride weighs down heavy within her throat

Her children are excited
The plastic grocery bag gives them hope
When they see the jar of mayonnaise
they know that they will be eating 'make believe' sandwiches again

The kids close their weary eyes
and make believe that in between those stale slices of bread
is whatever meat and cheese in the world that they could imagine
and for a brief moment the woman of iron is as soft as the mayonnaise

Oh, how she wishes that she could have a 'make believe' life
with whatever money and comfort in the world that she could imagine
but she is lonely
Lonely and stubborn

When she goes to her chemotherapy and radiation sessions
it is long and dreadful
The pain eats away at her soul
and she loses her hair and her smile just like in the movies

She refuses to give up
She wants to show her children
how much they mean to her
She doesn't turn away this time

Her worse fear is the thought
that someone she knows will see her in that hospital
and think that she is ugly and weak
but, she just closes her weary eyes and makes believe

The woman of iron
is not ugly at all
The woman of iron
is not lonely at all

Learn more about this author, Bill Climber.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.