Emma's Tears

 
She was a child of seduction
Of deception
Of rape
Unwanted by her mother
But she would end up changing so many lives

Her mother denied being pregnant until the day she gave birth
She’d drink and smoke and whatnot
Even with this
A healthy little girl was born
But destined to undergo through a great deal of suffering

There was a magnetism about her
Her mother’s friends and co-workers always gave a helping hand
And despite the beatings and the public cursings
The little girl had a strong resolve

Her mother, with her bad temper
Would get angrier at her daughter’s mischief and antics
Worst of all was her mother’s fury
When the little girl would not shed a tear during the whippings

She was taken in by a conservative family
Poor but well educated in the ways of the Lord
She was taught
Brought up with kindness
Given a chance to fend for herself
Even as her mother remained close by

Emma went on to become a self made woman
A strict mother
A small entrepreneur
Proud and just as bad tempered as her mother was
But the hurt inside
Seemed like a painful memory that can never subside

I’ve only seen Emma cry twice in my life
The first time when she told me her story
Asking the Lord for forgiveness
As if being born had been a curse to her mother
The time she recounts when she saw her at *Liberty Parque
Seeing her destitute
Wondering aimlessly…
Talking to herself, mad at the world

When Emma told me about her mother’s death
And how she got to the burial late
Only to see the coffin being lowered into the ground
I saw tears in her eyes
For all the suffering, for all the beatings
For all the stories and details she never told

Now at 92
Emma is loved by her family
Her friends
Her community
She has changed so many people’s lives

The other time I saw my grandmother cry
Was about losing me
During the days of the civil war
But that’s a story for another day