Molestation,
a sad plight
It's
not enough to keep me up at night.
Projects,
shelters, even evictions
Is
that enough to make me lose my conviction?
The
witness of a horrible stabbing,
Domestic
abuse and a kidnapping.
She’s
your mom! Yes, I know!
But the
paperwork said she let me go!
All
this before the age of ten
At
what age will this tragedy end?
Brighter
days must soon be near
Off
to San Diego where the skies are clear.
Is
it here that this will all end
Is
my triumph about to begin?
No,
not now I’ll have to wait
Let’s
pile some more upon my plate.
ADDICTION!
Why mom? Why did you choose
Drugs
will surely make you lose.
Our
home, our friends, our money, our things
You
smoked them, you snorted and shot them up.
Walking
the Downtown streets late at night
Nowhere
to go, we spot a light.
Is
that a sign? A vacancy?
Yale
Hotel on F Street, our new home to be.
It
is here where friends become family
And,
of course, more tragedy.
NO!
STOP IT! IT ISN'T SO! MY MOM DOES NOT HAVE HIV!
STOP
TALKING! I'M NOT LISTENING! STOP LYING TO ME!
Off
we move and leave our friends
The
family that stays with me through thick and thin.
Now,
In-Home Nurses and medication
I’m
only in Junior High School, I need a vacation.
The
drugs, they’re just too strong
She
can’t let go and continues to succumb.
Now
three little letters turn into four
AIDS
came tapping at my mother’s door.
DEATH!
Two times in a one year span
First
dad now mom, it’s too much man!
Junior
High, High School and College is the future for me
Constantly
holding a 3.0 to a 3.33.
Life
has many twists and turns and crooked paths
As
we often learn.
Love
provides an interruption
But
abandoning college was never my solution.
Marriage
at age twenty and a new place to call home
Military
life in Illinois is where I'll roam.
Also
Virginia and Mississippi
The
love is now gone, there’s nothing here for me.
Back
to San Diego from where I came.
Time
to pack up and start again.
Now
a single mother, I must go back to school
Go
back to the path which I always knew was cool.
A
Medical Assistant I’ll quickly become
To
make decent money to try and move on.
Child,
work and school that’s my daily routine
Working
hard to fulfill my lifelong dream.
Along
comes the news I’ve patiently waited for
Two
long years or maybe more.
Monique,
you’ve made it, your name has come up
Are
you ready for Nursing School? Of course, there’s a but.
But
I’m pregnant with another child, over ten years later.
Its
OK, we’ll see you next year but not any greater.
The
year came and went quick as a flash
Nursing
School is here, time to attend class.
The
toughest two years I really must say
But
I remember my past and what I endured many days.
I
persevered and progressed and completed the program
And
walked across the stage with my kids looking on.
And
knew that although life sometimes seemed bleak
That
this was the TRIUMPH I always did seek.
So you
may ask, “Do you think this scholarship can help you live your dream?”
Yes
in many ways, one can only imagine
Higher
education is the goal and is my passion.
From
RN to BSN this is now my desire
This
scholarship will help me live my dreams and aspire.
Monique A. Shaw, R.N.
Monique is a registered nurse in the Southern California area. She is currently working on her BSN while balancing the busy life of work and mom.
No comments:
Post a Comment