Sacrifices

a poem about a couple’s life raising children in the sixties and early seventies

Denzil Jayasinghe

1 min read·Nov 29, 2022

I remember when my mother was sad,

She couldn’t speak English to me, it made her mad.

She interrupted her studies to marry my father,

Her elusive dream of becoming a teacher.

I grew up, and my mother sacrificed herself for me,

And for my siblings, she worked so hard, you see.

She was worried about our education and our budgeting,

And raising three children, it was a lot of work, it was no joking.

For weeks, my parents were separated by regions,

They had nothing but letters to read at night, to fill their emotions.

They looked forward to their visits, to be happy again,

To be parents again, to be husband and wife again.

They were intimate, they made love, my mother was happy,

Her children were hanging on their father, it was a happy day.

But then it was time for him to go, and my mother was sad,

She had to let her man go again, it was so hard.

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