Upended

Eating up the moments one by one—
a brand new world for her to discover
and a sea of memories for me to relive.

I savor the feeling that unfurls as I type,
vowing to preserve it in a time capsule of sorts
to weather the storm of imminent rainy days
shaping up to be too numerous to count.

Oblivious to the joy she gives each and every day,
her life keeps blooming to the tune of the unknown.
Laughter and trust seep through the door
like the dawn’s first light,
infusing me with a curious spark
that only youth ignites.

I pause, seeking an excuse to enter her space,
trying to capture every morsel of time
she unknowingly spills for my delight.
My approach carries the temple of respect
she honed in me over the years
and a longing for days gone by. Notwithstanding,
I am ever-present in the moment I am about to uncover.

Her door now before me, I slowly turn the knob, careful
not to disrupt the magic within. Stepping inside,
what was once simply a room now unfolds as a grand stage,
revealing a touching vignette of three heartwarming smiles.

My daughter and her friends round out the scene:
Waylen in a chair, cloaked in anticipation
for her scissors to tame his roguish hair,
and Keean, playfully sprawled across the floor,
stroking Puma, her puppy-like cat.

My presence proves inconsequential
to their unrehearsed script of joy.
Blissfully unaware they remain
to how extraordinary the ordinary becomes
for a mother whose nest is about to be upended.

My daughter with friends in Croatia, just weeks before her departure.

Landing page image:
Mammoth Lakes, California