Mother Dearest

You've hit me,
You've insulted me,
You've bruised me,
You've crushed my spirit.
You've supported me,
You've kept my secrets,
And you've been my friend.
You've called me stupid,
You've praised my accomplishments.
You've loved me,
And you've hated me.
You've loved my boyfriends,
And you've hated me for letting them into my life.
You hate my poetry,
You hate my stories.
You love my book choices,
And you love my musical talent.
You deny you've ever hit me,
You deny you've ever called me stupid.
You praise yourself for supporting me,
When all you do is turn around and crush my spirits.
Yes, you've kept my secrets,
But at the same token,
You turn and blurt them to all your friends,
And what do you do?
You deny you ever did it.
So Mother dearest,
Why should I trust you with anything I have to say?
Why should I give you second chances at giving me advice on boys?
I'll tell you why,
It's because you're my mother and as much as I want to hate you,
At the end of every day,
I still love you with all my heart.