Pity Flowers for Mom

My mother came down to the District
the day after I injured my head.
She had pre-planned the trip
but maintains that her psychic ability told her
I was going to need assistance.
I love her anyway, even when she's terrible.
It doesn't stop me from hanging up on her, though.

When I came out as bisexual, she told me about her threesome,
It was something to relate to, she must've thought,
she said I hope I didn't drive you into the arms of a woman,
by telling you how much I hate men, you didn't, I said.

When I told her that the man I'm seeing is also bisexual,
she told me he's probably just gay,
and I know she's stupid and her "evidence" is anecdotal
and exclusively from television,
but I still think about it.

We walked back from the emergency department when they released me,
on the way, she dropped my cupcakes face-down on the pavement,
and when we got back she asked if I wanted a drink. I had a head injury.
I was vomiting and on fluids all night in the hospital
but in her mind, a drink seemed a good idea.

I told her I was tired of school and feeling depressed.
She told me that I can come home and she'd help pay back my loan.
She tries to be supportive, but she just doesn't know how.

She wrote me a "sweet" letter, it was sweet in her way,
and I called her to tell her that I received it
and she told me to hang it
on the board by my bedroom door
[because when she was here she saw
that I had a note from my dad
hanging there.]

She's sweet, in her way.
No one was ever sweet to her
so she's just teaching herself
and I feel bad for her.

So I send her flowers sometimes,
they're always pity flowers
but they all smell the same.