The day I saw the moon in a puddle, your feelings said ‘pull’ and your body said ‘push’. The morning routine had been a sumptuous mix of ‘I want peanut butter on toast!’, and ‘I don’t want peanut butter on toast!’ You were already so good at igniting the gas to the light. You were hurting. It was so obvious but so hard to understand at times. My brain said ‘yes’, my body said ‘no’ as I yanked you down the street. That’s when I saw the moon in a puddle but my world hadn’t come tumbling down yet. ‘it’s a super moon,’ you said, all little features and shaky voice. I said ‘yes’. We walked to the station in silence. You, looking for the moon and getting upset when it got covered by a building.
by Emma Dawson
Emma has always written in order to process emotions. Her themes are usually about mental health and trauma. This poem is about parenting an adopted child who has early trauma, trying to remember theory of therapeutic parenting but not always getting it right, and the small things that can repair their attachments.
Aayo Magazine 