The lonely heart of a child

I wish I understood before

How much you endured

And how much you hid

Of the child inside yourself

Who was so abused

Who had to try so very hard

To be good

But was so very often unseen

Misunderstood

That profound loneliness that dwelled

Deep in the heart of you

Is what I came to live

As the youngest of all

And now I weep

As I realise

How many tears you could not cry

And I remember

All the many ways you tried

To pull me out of my isolation

And I remember too

Those final nights

As we sat in silence

Holding hands

With an ocean of love

Lapping the space between our souls

And you said

This what I always longed for

Peace between us

Oh Mum you were so very old by then

But deep inside you

I always felt beating powerfully

The lonely longing heart

Of a child