Mother's Curse

When I was growing up, my mother always told me that

men were an “evil necessity”—one she tolerated.

She despised being used in bed, but knew it was the

only way to have a family. At first, I did not understand /

she never told me The Facts. No one ever told her—

she learned the sad truth the hard way—first hand.

At ten, I stole peeks at forbidden magazines. It was

years before they would be placed out-of-reach of

innocent young eyes. I listened to schoolmates’ gossip.

On the bus, we all leaned-in to listen as one girl told us

what she discovered—a man lays on top of a woman

while naked, and their belly-buttons touched! We all

gasped and giggled / turning a bright shade of red.

A scarlet blush to be sure. It all seems so sordid and

wrong. I had no idea what male anatomy looked like

even though I had 2 older brothers. Shame was the rule

at home! Why would a loving god make it so repulsive

to reproduce? Eventually, we all learned the truth

the hard way. Then the 60s came—and so did

Free Love. I shook my head and relented when

I thought back to how much my mother was deprived

of in life. Then I stepped into freedom—released from

the curse my mother bore.