Life slips by day by day,
Hour by Hour.
Sixteen years of love
And sweet adventures
And trials and tears.
Sixteen years of growing up
And growing old.
And then the day comes
When it ends. When the children
Begin a new journey
Miles away.
A new home, school
Couch and shoes.
I can do this, I say.
And breathe through it all.
My smiling pretense of courage
And excitement for their future
To cover the pain, dull and throbbing
That hides in my chest and throat
Clinging to my jaw,
Lurking in my shoulders,
Flowing through at
Unexpected times.
It will get better my friends say.
Just a phone call away.
Some days I almost believe that
Maybe I’ll be fine.
So, I plod along with my
Heart scotch-taped together
Until...
I open the freezer and see
The corn dogs.
Stupid corn dogs.
A favorite snack for
A growing teen
Who isn’t here any longer.
And the ragged rush of tears
Pour out unbidden.
Sobs that can’t be stopped
Wave upon wave.
A sadness tsunami
A reminder of how much
I miss the grandchild,
The daughter.
The life we had.
Instead of crying over spilled milk
I have a Costco size box
Of corn dogs to weep over.
To remind me
That life will never be
Quite the same again.
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