On not quite letting go

Something I hadn’t quite expected when I walked away from full-time work to concentrate on my photography and my family is that not having work thoughts crowd my brain left room for some other creative things I’d put down long ago to come back.

So, given this is my blog and I can do whatever I like with it, I thought I’d share the latest thing.

I put my middle child on a plane in the last few days for an overseas adventure and it got me thinking, as I occasionally do, about how we as parents manage the letting go bit of parenting.  We want our children to grow up and move on and start their own lives but it’s not that easy when they do.

When I was young I loved writing poetry.  I haven’t written one since I was in high school.  But this popped into my head.  I hope you like it.

Not quite letting go

I breathe in

As she is folded into the happy group

protected by a wall of their luggage

and I turn to walk away

leaving her to travel over the seas

I breathe in

As she hugs her brother

then me

for so long but not long enough

and climbs into the car filled with

her life

and drives away

I breathe in

As he leaves the house

to walk off the energy

and tension

that comes from breaking free of the bounds of childhood

Only when they are back

in my sight

in my arms

so close I can feel their breath

and smell their hair

Only then can my heart

breathe out.