Now and Forever Bouquet

And as I sit,
Fingers dancing about the keys
Trying to weave from chaos
A harmonious truth
I attempt to make peace
With what soon I’ll peruse.

Bathed in tearful joy sculpted
By a muse on the run,
This quiet corner shielded
From the sweltering summer sun
Begs to listen.

Right on cue

No longer in the periphery
My son glides into view
Our sweet exchange fading
Into his tomorrow-dream
And the now I fondly choose.

Stitching erratic memories
Into a time-capsuled play
I promise to purchase tickets
Attend for all my days. 

A mother effortlessly adjusts
To the gift of boundless love
And yet we fail to brace ourselves
For time’s imminent crush.

Heartstrings now entangled
In feelings which disembogue
A vain bid to wash over 
This mother’s endless love.

But, darling, I embrace you
As life lures you away
For you and your journey
Are my now and forever bouquets.

Mexico, 2005

Daddy’s shoes, 2007

New York, 2010

Morocco, 2011

Dorm move-in day, 2020

After the Euro Cup, 2021

Last August, inspired by my son’s college-bound wings, I wrote my favorite poem “Kissless Tomorrow” which I never shared, hoping to give it an alternate literary home one day. Today, while in a poetic corner pondering my next write, he passed by to borrow my husband’s tie evoking images of days gone by. An avalanche of memories and words flowed in equal measure. And right on cue as I clicked the last key, he approached me on the way to his summer job: “Bye mom, I love you.”