Saving mother

You were headed towards the ocean when the clock struck noon
Eyes full of doubt, like someone told you something new
Did you need proof that the earth’s a sphere?
You said you’d see if you could go in and swim
Legs trembling from something I don’t think was fear
Were you trying to find the parts of her belly that ache,
When you feel it churn and it makes you tremble?

Your hands are rough, your eyes dried up
Years of feeling the surface and squinting into the core
Searching for the parts of her that needed saving
Do you have to be free to save the chained?
There are many ways she could have swallowed you whole
How do you know you were ever free?

Did I ever tell you I knew her once, know her still
A lifetime’s too short to find all her aching parts
To soothe them all, to undo the hurt
You were headed towards the ocean when the clock struck noon
If you find the ache within her belly
I hope it lights a fire in yours
To take you through the afternoon years of your life.