I Hope You Die

I remember the times my mother told me
she wished me dead. 

One time, I’d been badly bitten by a kitten
so required a tetanus shot…
but she was ironing.

The cause of the second curse
I don’t recall,
but do remember my reaction:

I lay beneath the dining room table
having a tantrum,
knowing I was acting childish,

but was afraid.

Having been a parent, I wonder why
my mother could have been so frustrated
she wished me dead,

not once in my life, but twice!