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Monday, September 15, 2008

Push

Push.
Push.
I've changed my mind.
I don't want to do this.
You have to.
Push.
Tears fall as she enters my world with a wail.

Twenty years and twenty days
spun around a semi-circle
to a difficult place
where letting go is expected
but bittersweet.

Now in a mountain cow-town where
she's sprouted wings, and
I'm supposed to return empty-nested:
I struggle. Not because I want
to keep her from her destiny,
but because I may not know my own.

After my biggest role -
playing mom for half my years
plus two - who am I?
It is time for new discoveries
and paths for each of us.

I stand in her postage stamp
kitchen wanting to help.
I open my mouth to speak
but gape like the open cupboard doors
and swallow my advice so
she will forge ahead.

Push.
Push.
I've changed my mind.
I don't want to do this.
You have to
let go… tears fall and
for a moment I unfurl
as I leave, having delivered
her to her own world.

I busted this draft out during my lunch today. I'm sure I will make some changes, but this is it for now. This was another suggested topic from Read Write Poem. Check it out and see what everyone else did as well.

9 comments:

Regina said...

Oh my... how heart-rending. I could really feel this and I am not even a parent!
You describe it so beautifully the ache and pull many parents are feeling right now- seeing their kids off to college.
I liked what you said about having to find your own destiny now... it's so true.
Just lovely- thank you.

Anonymous said...

Loved the poem but you know what they say? They say: Once a Mum...

Anonymous said...

love the stanza in the kitchen--the open cupboards and the open mouth!

i'm keeping my son home forever...(there's a poem attesting to that on my blog around mothers day!)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! The love really comes through. And the coming full circle, the same and yet different, nicely done.

Anonymous said...

What a touching poem!

Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting too, I really really appreciate it!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful honesty and the repetition is great. I enjoyed this.

Anonymous said...

I suppose now I understand how my mom feels...

irrationality

carole said...

I don't think the first two verses need any more work. They are perfect. I love the twenty years and twenty days around a semi-circle.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Anonymous said...

Hey, we're voting on how to proceed with editing chainpoem #2 over at ThePoCo. You'll see my comment on the post asking people how we should proceed with the edits. Go, go! Vote, vote!

Hi.