I swayed the hammock back and forth,
Remembered all the good times,
As a small white moth floated,
Down from the green canvas,

Sometimes it’s hard to believe this,
But Mommy, I grew up.
From the day of my first kiss,
To that moment in Iraq,
Fearing the attack,

It made me open my eyes to life,
How I lived without this,
I’m not sure,
It’s not a walk in the park,
But breathing is easier,
Colors are brighter,
Or maybe the dark is lighter,
Which it is, I don’t know,

I don’t regret the things I’ve done,
They shaped me into who I am now,
Mommy, you remember how we’d swing here?
You spoke life into mine,
But I rejected it.

You handed me a mirror,
Told me to never forget who I was,
I couldn’t forget what I didn’t understand.

But now I see.
Mommy, I grew up.