People Always Apologize

People always
apologize
to me,
for my mother.

How she was never around.
But,
the truth is,
she was away
doing something she loved.

Protecting pilots' lives
and making sure
they came home safe.

My mother and I,
we're
too much alike.
Stubborn and
tempermental.

I doubt either of us
would have
made it past
my 13th birthday.

They also apologize
for the bullies,
who actually made me stronger.

The snide comments,
just roll right off,
like rain water
on a car windsheild.

And,
because of those bullies,
I can tell who
my true friends are.