Paradoxes

You withhold
You don't overwhelm
You don't force praise or crave power
You don't make me look you in the eye
But your eyes are my only comfort
Your power, the only thing big enough
I'm overwhelmed
Because you withheld

You took her
Under the palm tree
Made her lay down in the green grass
Told me she was safe now, in the best place
But you trained me to be her safety
You laid her embryo in my womb
Made my breasts her shelter
And you took her

In your image
You made me a mother
Gave me an inseparable love
Trained me in attentive nurture
Now you attend to my motherhood
Taunting me with eternal mothering
Her cries forever etched in my stomach
I'm not godly enough for this