Dear Mom
by Brooke Weisenburger
I never believed you when you said
that mothers know best.
It was I who knew everything,
because they were my friends,
because Derek was my boyfriend,
because it was my life,
not yours.
But then again,
I get my stubborn head
from you.
I regret not spending that last night
with you and Dad and Ryan.
Going to dinner, then
watching the UMKC men’s team.
But as you may remember,
Derek demanded my devotion
those days.
Like I said,
I never believed what
you said.
The time you told me
my friends were not true friends,
The time you told me
Derek was becoming too attached,
and sucking the life out of me,
The time you told me,
I’d never appreciate you
until you were gone.
Well, you were right, Mom.
I need you, I admit it,
and you’re not here
to say those words
“I told you so.”
But somehow, I can still hear you
say them anyway.
I wouldn’t have accepted
this compliment many years ago
when I knew it all,
but my proudest days are the days
when Dad tells me
that I am so much like you.
Brooke Weisenburger is a junior English ed major from Gardner, Kansas.
