Where The Grass Grows

Twelve

When he was 2
His mom put him in daycare
She needed someone to watch him
But what she didn't know was
Daycare teachers can be bad too

When he was 5, he started school
His mother sent him off with his lunchbox
But what she didn't know was
He was afraid to meet his teacher
Because he thought they'd be like his daycare teacher
He secretly hoped she wouldn't
When he was 10 his parents divorced
His mother promised she still loved him
But he always found her drunk on the kitchen floor
What his mother didn't know was
Just because you close the bedroom door
Doesn't mean the sounds dissipate
Doesn't mean you can no longer hear the screams
And the crying

When he was 12, he got awfully sick
His mother cried when his hair fell out
It was slow at first
But the clumps only grew bigger
And soon he was bald
He thought it was funny
But his mom always cried
What his mom didn't know was
He is stronger than her assumptions had led her to believe

When he was 12, he died
His mother lost herself
He watched over her
As she held his baby blanket
And his favorite toy
As she drowned
What his mother didn't know was
He had never left at all

When he was 12 his mother planned his funeral
All these people showed up
Some he knew, others he didn't
But they all lined the pews
And said goodbye to the 12-year-old
That laid silently in a coffin
That was cold to the touch
That didn't move
That didn't wake up
What his mother didn't know was
He had fought long and hard
But he was too tired to open his eyes

When he was 12 his mother got a dog
He figured it was to help her cope with the loss
She named him Cooper
He laughed when she said it
Because cooper was his name
He was a brown lab
A cute little thing
What his mother didn't know was
He sent that brown little pup
To keep her company while he was gone
He hasn't really left at all

When he was 12 his mother fell back in love with his father
Love has its ways he thought
But what his mom didn't know was
He asked God for them to get along

When he was 12 his other cremated him
And threw his ashes to the sky on the beach
She cried a lot that day
What his mother didn't know was
He held her hand as she let him go
He gave her a hug when she cried
He told her it would be okay
He still loves her so much
He asked God to make sure she wasn't mad at him for being sick
And dying
He didn't mean to
He would have stayed; had he been allowed

When he was 12 his mother remarried his father
Her wedding dress was beautiful
She had her sons' initials embroidered along the inside of her dress
And she left an empty seat at the reception
She said, "That's Cooper's seat"
And she was 7 months along
With his baby sister
Whom she planned to call Wren
What his mother hadn't known was
He had sent Wren to teach her what love was

When he was 12 Wren was born
People filled the hospital halls
He wondered is this many people showed up when he was born
His mother smiled more now
She didn't seem as sad
As lost
As drowned
She was moving on now
What his mother didn't know was
He was moving on too

When he was 12, he said goodbye to his mom for the last time
"Please don't be mad at me" he said gently
He let go of her hand
She was ready to move on
She could do this without him now
"Goodbye" he said
Forever this time
What his mom didn't know was
She is stronger than her assumptions had led her to believe

When he was 12, he said, "I love you mom"
And then he went to heaven
Like all good boys do
He was at peace.