Mother's sad Day,

For many women in San Francisco's Tenderloin,
Mother's Day is a time of regret.
These are the absentee moms;
whose children are being raised elsewhere, by other persons.

When you see them on the street, you may not realize that they have kids. You're more likely to perceive them merely as (ab)users of drugs (including alcohol), and/or as beggars or sexworkers.

But Mother's Day isn't the saddest day of an absentee mom's year --
harsher pain may be felt on the birthday(s)
of their absent child(ren).

Nor are Tenderloin moms the saddest mothers
on their special day.
That unwanted distinction belongs to those,
mainly in the Third World,
whose children die young.


-- TenderLoiner
on Mothers' Day 2008
in San Francisco, California
94142-6937


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[
On vulnerability of "street women" in SF,
please see also:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/11/BAP710K240.DTL

]
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