Fledgling’s Flight
Our fledgling flew the coop early in January
So young and fresh from school
His offer is not giving us time to grieve
His dad and I were not yet ready.
Just two brief weeks home
Newly graduated,
No time to spend acclimating
Suddenly, we’d be without him, all alone
Nineteen, a child, a man so young—
Excited, but still a bit pensive
Thrust into adult realities
Though I was dying to say stay, I bit my tongue
Packing began promptly
His entire life in such little time
Boxes, tape, the pieces of all the years
Stuffed into boxes, into a moving van
In an instant, he was gone.
Down the road, his future
His dad, his helper, in tow
Mom watched them leave her alone
Days and weeks followed
Keeping busy wasn’t too hard.
Clean up and repurposing a room
Meaningless tasks that overflowed
No one warns a parent
Of phantom pains
As are experienced in limb loss
Moments, sensations, expectancies, now latent
No tears had been shed
Upon his quick departure
Pride in a child, no tears, no sorrow
Joy, in his courage, as his wings spread
Months pass before he returned
Welcome home preparations, full throttle
Anticipation of a new man
His return home, the thing I had so yearned
Four short days to get our fill
And once again, his departure loomed
Packed up yet again
He drove off once more, and my tears began to spill
Remembering our son as our young teen
Experiencing him, the man, as he had become
Our hearts swelled with pleasure and delight
Fears dispelled, replaced by peace, serene
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