Atmosphere Mother's Day
She lost one to pneumonia and the other to prison,
And now she spends mother's day sitting in her kitchen.
Looking at her pictures of the past felt surreal,
She had a couple people, some friends that helped her heal but,
Days like today, she doesn't want to be a bother
And as far as she's concerned, her boys didn't have a father.
Nut-uh, she had to teach 'em the ways
Teach 'em how to be behave, be brave, and even how to shave.
Some days it makes her feel like a soldier,
And other times it makes her feel like a failure.
Why did the stronger one die from a cold, huh?
Why did the smarter one end up in jail, Nah.
She gave them boys everything that she could,
Two full time jobs to keep them in a good neighborhood.
They understood how to love and how to live,
Now she doesn't understand how it comes down to this.
Maybe she should go work in her yard,
And take her mind off the past, try to let the day start.
But she's waiting on one of those annual calls
While she's looking at the photos on her hallway walls.
His big sibling died, and mom's by her self
And now he spends everyday inside of that cell.
Looking at the photos of his past makes him crash,
So he never takes them out of that folder under his mattress.
Days like today he doesn't think about what happened,
No, still gotta call mommy, wish her a happy one.
Uh huh, mom, if only she'd have been around,
Maybe big brother would still be living now.
Some days, it makes him feel like a traitor,
And other times it makes him feel like a martyr.
Seems like some displacement of anger,
Seems like he blames her more than his father.
She was gone all the time at work,
Never around to play the part of the police or the nurse.
She understood how things fall apart,
So why'd she let the nest hit the ground this hard?
Maybe he should go walk in the yard
And take his mind off the past, try to let the day start.
Cause this soldier forgot to admit it's his fault,
When he's looking at the faces in his hallway walls.