Alice Poem by Leaking Pen

Untie your hands from mine and walk away by yourself
You tyrant pitiful sorrow of mine,
You are like a nagging old hag
I'm free, for I have tasted sweet hope on my tongue.

I remember the first time I tasted
A peanut butter sandwich…
Made by the gentle hands of Alice,
Our new neighbour from the States
For a broken child- myself- from Lebanon
I though the taste of peanut butter was heavenly,
Surpassing Easter chocolate eggs.
Alice magic charms added more sweetness
To the bitter eyes of my childhood,
And her warmth gave comfort
To my aching belly from its physiological hunger!

Alice seemed like the ideal mother
Always smiling, always caring,
Made my whole world a happier place.
To the eyes of this child
Her doors were always open
As wide as her heart's embrace
I discovered love…
That fled away from my own house
And moved in with Alice.
Alice had no husband that I remembered
Well regardless…
It would have made no difference to me!

My mother always loved me
I think my dad did as well?
Yet it seems strange the way they expressed it
It took Alice to be my measuring yardstick
To what healthy parents love should be like
To the eyes of a lost broken child.

My parents fought a lot it seems,
Each tried to teach me
Which one loved me the most?
By pouring more honey into vinegar
Sweetness got lost in excessive sourness.
I thought the whole world
Loved their children
In the manner my parents did.
Till either fate or divine intervention
Lead me to the doorsteps
Of my caring neighbour Alice

Forever embedded in my mind
Alice's love and generosity
Each time I find myself in the dumps,
I take refuge in a peanut butter sandwich!

August 24th 2011
Copyright Leaking Pen 1970's series