Change

I wrote this poem the day my son left home. Life is about “change” and I try to embrace it on a daily basis, but I’m not sure any parent can ever fully anticipate the impact on the adult psyche,  when their eldest child leaves home for the first time. We start preparing them for release into the wild the day they are born, and then stand breathless as the wind catches their wings and carries them off.  We are then left with a sense of awe, great expectations and a profound sadness that only time and prayer will dull.

CHANGE

Change is constant and demanding of every human on the earth

Giving happiness and sorrow from the moment of one’s birth

When they placed a son into my arms, I felt a countdown had begun

With “change” manipulating details of a timer set to “RUN”

Subtle “change” would dull my senses, making me ignore the clock

Bringing milestones of happiness, like the day he finally walked

“Change” so excited me with progress, watching him become his own

That I forgot the running timepiece, and the fact that he was loaned

He walked out into the world today, “change” had planned it from the start

But one thing it had forgotten, was to change a father’s heart

Change will step in where it’s needed, bringing with it some relief

But it’s the same ole timepiece, so for now I’m stuck with grief

I’m sure in time it will diminish, “change” thinks it has the final say

But I’m here to turn the tables, so I’m asking you to pray

(To my son Zak, how I miss being around you)

Phillip Good (From the heart of an average MK)

rpgood57@gmail.com