She Lost Her Soul

She lost her soul on that fateful day

to keep her family safe from harm.

The state came in and took them away.

She could still hear the sound

of her three young children crying

as they placed them in the cars.

The children will grow up to hate her,

because they will never know what she did for love.

They will only hear about the bad.

They won't know the truth

about what really happened with their dad

the night she put an end to it all.

The violence and abuse

No more drugs and no more thugs

They beat her and tried to put her down,

but when they turned around to go for the children

she grabbed the gun from the desk drawer.

She lost her soul.

She knew she had  in that moment of perfect clarity.

As the police took her away,

she saw two things she had owned before

him and all of this.

A chipped teacup on the floor lay next to a broken chair;

both had once belonged to momma.