Sometimes you see a play
That cracks you open
Leaves you sobbing in the aisles
The story of a woman
Trying to know her mother
Know and understand the
Person she was
Before she was
Mom
When she was
A young woman starting a
Consciousness raising group
In the basement of an Ohio gym
In 1970
Before no fault divorce
Before women were allowed to have their own bank accounts
Before marriage equality
Before the narrator’s existence
And trying to understand the question
Was it worth it for her mom
To have kids?

In the second act
I could hear the
Sniffles and sobs
Of people around me
Sitting in the dark
Undergoing a collective catharsis
The extraordinary ability of a well-written,
Well-executed play
To provide a place for healing
For processing
For saying out loud
We need to do better
For women

At the end of the play
I couldn’t face going home
There were too many feelings
Too many thoughts to process
So I walked up to Rockefeller
And admired at the tree
And even though it was freezing
I walked down Fifth Avenue
All the way to 59th
And the lights sparkled
For the little child
Within