Eleshia OliverMom
A Spoken Poem by Catherine Hanna
Eleshia OliverMom
She ditched her last name
Took her baby boy’s for her own
It was a better fit
Oliver doesn’t tell her story
Isn’t that a relief?
Leave the past behind
Heroin-addicted mother
Since deceased
And dreams of what if
Died even before the funeral
She never held her…
Story
And Eleshia can’t recall
The make of her hand
Who held her hand
On the first day of Kindergarten?
On the second, the third…
Monday
Snow Day
And “One Day”…
That’s just fairy tale
To Dad she was number 2
Brothers and sisters
She barely knew
They never were her story
But Oliver has her cheekbones
And looks to her
Over and over again
With bright brown eyes
Beams of anticipation
Of Maybe
Someday
Today?
Of Home
For the first time
Hold still
Breathe long and deep
A Hallelujah
Of her very own
Hold the moment
1, 2, 3…
Time
Did not take care
Of anything
And nobody
So focus on the task in front of you
Oliver needs a home
And Eleshia is on her own
His first word—“Dada”
She accepts the irony
With humor and sarcasm
“What’s he ever done for you?”
Might as well
Laugh
It’s free and filling
For the moment
Beyond this is hollow
There is not enough
To fill Oliver’s home
And time does not take care
Of anything
And nobody
Being alone
Was easier
But…Oliver just took his first step
He is not yet one
Hold still
Breathe long and deep
She is proud of her strong healthy boy
For the moment
Or 2 or 3…
They are making a new story
Oliver and Eleshia OliverMom
Catherine Hanna
Catherine Hanna is an applied theater practitioner which brings together her work as an educator, performer and writer. She has a Master's in Educational Theater from New York University and a BA in Sociology and International Development. As an artist, she often works collaboratively to create original performances designed around themes of reconciliation, connection and humanizing storytelling.