The Broken Parts I Share With My Daughter
By: Sabrina Manno
I wrote this piece in the waiting room of my 9-year-old daughter’s therapist. She has been suffering from severe anxiety for one-and-a-half years now and it has taken a heavy toll on our family of four. At the time, all I could think was “I wish I could fix you …”
Artist Statement
Sabrina Manno is the creator and author of “A Momma & Her Pen,” a personal blog primarily about parenting and her life as a stay-at-home. Before becoming a momma, Sabrina spent 13 years working as an editor in New York City, but she gave it all up to stay home with her two beautiful children! Aside from writing—her true passion—Sabrina loves reading, cooking/baking, Josh Groban, Disney, solitary trees, coffee, all things related to autumn and the holiday season, and traveling with her family. You can read more of her essays and poetry at https://a-momma-and-her-pen.com/.
Thank you, Sabrina.
Your poem lays bare the tension and pain of wanting to help and not being able to help—the “silence screaming at me to write”.
You also lay out the long distance between humans (even between a mother and daughter) and the ability for language to bridge some of the miles.
The words “when anxiety broke you” so accurately describes the power of anxiety and the suffering and fall due to its grip.
Your words are real and raw. Thank you for sharing this with others.
Another heart rending gift of a poem, Brie. Your honesty is part of the heart break. Wow, you’re not the perfect mother, (because none of us are), but you’ve perfectly caught how your own child’s pain and suffering break each of us with pain and guilt. Hat’s off to you Brie. Another moving poem! Angie