piano legs

her mother
told her she had piano legs.
at ten that was
hard to overcome no matter
how many men tried.
the meanness was
a yellow breath
coming out of her. she wouldn't
die.
hanging on
to life with sharp nails
at ninety five.
why mothers hate
their daughters is a mystery.
and yet,
beneath it all
there was always hope
that she'd
see things
differently, in time.