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“Sacred Vows” is a poem written for my mother.

The poem is reflective of her struggle to gain the strength she required to finally leave her unhappy marriage after 20 years.

I was 20 years old when it was written, and as I approach 50 years old now, I feel that this poem will still resonate with many women like my mom.

My hope is that the words will inspire them to be less afraid and take the steps to finally reclaim their independence.

Sacred Vows

She sits for hours;

She sits and stares,

And counts upon her left fingers

All the exciting things she’s done in her lifetime,

But does not get past her thumb,

So she sits and she stares,

And she waits

For her husband to return from work.

She paces in her kitchen as she’s preparing dinner,

Waiting for the water to boil,

And it seems like forever,

But she has no idea how long forever will be

And no idea when her husband will arrive.

She has no idea what it is like to live

And no idea when she will find out.

And she sits;

She sits and she stares

As tiny bubbles start to surface,

And grow, and come to life,

And begin dancing upon the water,

And she asks herself when the last time was

That she felt alive.

So she strolls down the gloomy corridor,

Passing through a shrine of their lives,

But all that hangs are wedding pictures.

She enters her room and stares at her belongings,

Reflecting on the past twenty years

And counts upon her left fingers

How many times she’s heard “I love you,”

But once again

Could not get past her thumb.

And she stares and begins to cry,

And she counts her steps, 1-2-3-4-5,

And she exits the room,

And travels the long corridor to the kitchen.

She stops and stares through the back door,

Takes the knob in her left hand,

Turns it, and walks out

To breathe the fresh air, swallow hard,

And listen,

As the water begins to boil over,

And evaporate on the hot burner.