My amazing mother
I’m not a mother, but on a walk the other day I found myself singing about a situation in which I’d recently had to let go of something I loved deeply. That reflection left me with a new level of appreciation and awe for mothers who love and let go, because they want their beloveds to fly, even as they yearn to keep them by their side. The world has grown (we’re all so much more spread out) as much as it has shrunk (but I can chat to Dad in Bali for free, and keep in touch with friends in Australia on FB) and so we’re not always face to face as much as we might wish…
So I wrote this poem about letting go, and it feels right to share it today, in honour of all mothers, and in Gratitude to my own mother, who once called me a bird, and continues to encourage me to spread and use my wings.
A letter I wrote, published in the New Internationalist magazine back in 2003.
I loved you
so I hated to let you go
but I loved you enough
to want your success
more than temporary grief relief
so I smiled, and blessed, and thanked
you, and found space to cry
in my own time
for longer than expected
truth be told
But it passed
and I found new ways
to serve that love
that never went away
but paid attention when asked
to change direction
find new expression
So now I whirl thermals
beneath your wings
even when they take you
to places I can’t follow
I swallow the sadness
and wave you off
because if I keep waving
you’ll keep coming back
for another
goodbye –
now fly!