Head in the Clouds

Mom called me an asshole today.
I said, Mom, you surely don't mean that.
She said yes . . . and you're ugly too.
Even at my worst Mom never called me names.
My dad did but that was in Spanish
Where the spite never got lost
In the translation to a romance language.
Mom was more than just a buffer though
Even after me and Fat Andy crashed
My old man's liquor cabinet and ended up
Getting JD cards after getting busted
Stone drunk in back of the old mall.
Her teary eyes looked into mine
And she whispered, “They're bloodshot now,
Dear, but one day you'll see clearly.
Always remember how important you are
To others and mostly how important you are
To yourself and you'll become the man
We always knew you'd be.”
She was so smart so it was funny at first
When she became absent minded
My brother and me calling her the nutty professor
After she put her shoes in the refrigerator,
Bologna in the sock drawer.
“I must have left my head in the clouds,”
She'd sing, laughing so hard
She pissed in her pants.
I bought her Depends
Which she wore as a shower cap.
Now she calls me a God damn son of a bitch
As I spoon feed her applesauce.
The aide says she ain't eaten in three days.
And I get so pissed off and it's almost
Like she's doing this all on purpose.
So I can forget who she once was.
So it'd be easier to get along without her.
And I feel like the biggest
Piece of shit in the world.
I called God an asshole today
He said, son, you surely don't mean that.
I said no . . . but like everyone else
Around here it seems you too
Have forgotten how to love.