As I sit to eat, she used to give
that shrill cry...making me jerk and just be with her. She never wanted me to
leave her sight, walking behind me like a puppy to the bathroom as I shower.
She used to hold tight to my legs as I got ready to work and cry out of her
lungs, when I pack my travel bags to onsite. From being a young mom in early
twenties, to now being a sick woman in mid-forties, my journey of life revolved
around her. My thoughts, dreams and aspirations were built around her progress
and existence. Slowly, the world changed. Her life too. She no longer wants my
presence. My words echoed like a noise. My advices chocked her to core. My very
being becoming a burden to her free fly. The mother bird has to let her young
one go. That is only nature. She has to now look after her purpose, her
aspirations around her own life...no longer intertwined with mine. The vacuum
of empty nest syndrome is real. It can be redefining the way you lived. It has
to repurpose your life. Is this not the time to actually be Selfish, like she
now tells you are one! Selfish being focusing on your health, wealth and
happiness. No strings attached. But the threads of life are finely interlinked
that you have to be careful...not to burn bridges or bend to break beyond ....
this is not a mother's cry. This is the nature's way of life. As weave into the
tapestry of life. After all, life is a vicious circle! In fact, a nice
roller-coaster circle of ride. Tighten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!
The Empty Nest
She once clung tight a little hand in mine,
A shadow trailing with her laughter divine.
Her cries would echo as I walked away,
Begging me, pleading, "Mom, please stay!"
Through sleepless nights and endless days,
Her world was mine in countless ways.
Dreams I wove with love so deep,
A bond unbroken and a promise to keep.
But time, the thief, so silent and sly,
Stole those moments as years flew by.
Her wings grew strong and her voice so bold,
She sought the world let go her hold.
My words, once wisdom, now just noise,
My presence faded in her joys.
No longer needed, left behind,
A silent ache, a restless mind.
Yet nature whispers, soft but true,
A mother’s love must bid adieu.
Not chains, but wind beneath her flight,
Let her soar to chase the light.
Now is my time to stand, to be,
To find the self I used to see.
Not lost, not broken, just reborn,
A life my own, no more forlorn.
The nest is empty, but skies are wide,
A journey waits, with time as guide.
So tighten your belt, embrace the tide,
Life’s a circle, a wondrous ride!
Wings of Time (A Haibun)
She followed me everywhere—her tiny feet pattering behind
mine, her arms wrapped around my legs, her cries piercing through my heart
whenever I left. Her world revolved around me, and mine around her. From the
morning rush to bedtime stories, from school lunches to teenage dreams—I was
always there, always needed. But time is a river, never pausing, always
flowing.
Then, one day, she no longer turned back to look for me. My
words, once her comfort, became a burden. My presence, once her anchor, became
a chain. I watched as she broke free, soaring into a sky I once painted for
her. My hands, which held her steady, now trembled with emptiness. The nest is
silent, yet my heart still echoes with her laughter.
Letting go is love, too. So, I turn inward, embracing the
solitude, the new beginning. The wind whispers—this is not an end, just another
flight.
fallen autumn leaves—
branches stretch to touch the sky
without looking back
Dedicated to All Mothers
who sacrifice, who bravely fight, who give everything they can!
To their children
&
Dedicated to all Children
who dare to dream and fly high with wind beneath their wings!
and also stay connected, rooted in love and grace
