"Dreams are for losers"
But she said it with trembling lips
I knew Momma didn't have faith
She cried for me every night
And every night I thought
Her tears would drown us both
But at first she made it through each day
I'd see Daddy in the summer
And come home with bruises on my neck
Momma only weeped
But I told her it would be okay
That one day things would change
I swore it with all my heart
In the fall school would start
The kids would pull my ugly hair
And make fun of my tattered dresses
But it never really hurt
I swear it never did
Then in the winter
When the food was sparse
We'd get real hungry
I read a lot of books then
When spring came
I worked out in the field
While Momma sat on the porch
Whistling an old tune
I'd look up at the sun
And smile and wave to it
And thank it for its light
I wondered if Momma ever saw the sun
I tried to tell her
That dreams are okay
That a sunless journey
Is no journey at all
But then I gave up
Now I think her tears killed her
And it's brighter in the dark
