I should have listened when you told me bad people exist.
I should have listened to you when you said no one is going to be there forever. Because people leave and don't return.
I should have listened when you told me that when the damage is done, don't go back and try to repair it.
Because i've tried
Many times  
And should I have left the broken alignments the way they were perfectly damaged.

You taught me that it was okay to mess up.
Even though your parenting flaws came here and then, you provided what was necessary for a child
and taught me life lessons no average school teacher ever could.

You taught me how to love myself when I was broken.
You showed me that I had intentional beauty because everyday you'd see me you would say, "I have a beautiful daughter."

I used to think that line was wired into the brains of our mothers.
As if they were required to tell us we are beautiful
No matter how we believe we are.

We all have beauty.
And my mother taught me that.
She taught me how to love
And represented what I would call,
the most important piece of the puzzle.
Because without her, I would not exist.