On the day our son and daughter
depart from a visit,
return to their far away homes,
we could not fathom
any of our children
who slipped into this vast world
from their Mother home
would go away when they could.
One stayed, two left.
You feel exactly what I mean.
We swam through their youth
like sharks—guided, protected,
expected a lifetime close
like the farm families of yore.
But we were city,
where the sirens most live
who called them away.
Love abounds
even in the comings and goings
always returning, always leaving
until their home is only where they live.
Originally published in Rhodora Magazine