Have you heard the old adage, “a daughter is a daughter for all of your life, but a son is a son until he takes a wife”? This phrase means that even after a daughter gets married, she will still have loyalties to her parents, especially her mother, as well as the rest of her family. However, a son might get pulled into his wife’s family, as his wife sticks closely to her own. A parent might feel a little bit of lost connection with a son once he is married or that his wife’s family now comes first. Part of that may be true, but I also think there is a very special bond between mothers and sons, and this bond can remain strong even after marriage. That doesn’t mean the son is a “mama’s boy,” but they can still maintain a strong relationship even as the son may become busy with his wife and his own expanding family.

This next poem was inspired by this old adage. This was an interesting one for me to write because, as I mentioned earlier, I do not have any children, so I really had to put myself into the mind of a parent and allow myself to feel all of the feelings that a parent may feel at different points in the story. I think I was able to do that because I have observed the bond between mother and son firsthand. I have watched the pride shift into place on a mother’s face when her child catches the bus on his first day of school, and then the delight, along with disbelief, when he is graduating high school in what seems like just a few short years. I have seen the fear the first time their sixteen-year-old son takes the car out with his new driver’s license in hand. I have witnessed tears of pride and joy as a friend learned the news that her son had completed The Crucible and was now a United States Marine. And I have seen the mixed emotions as a mother watches her son as a groom, and ponders whether or not that old adage will prove to be true.

The mother and son in this next poem have such a strong connection, but the mother always feels a bit left out, as her son is always rushing off to this or that as he grows up. Even though she is excited for him, she feels left behind and wishes that time would stand still or that he would slow down a bit. Throughout the poem, there are other parents witnessing the same things and experiencing the same feelings as their children are also reaching new heights. This poem has an interesting twist though, as the boy learns in the end that sometimes we all get left behind, whether we’re prepared for it or not.

And Off They Go…

A mother watches her little boy
Who is growing up so fast.
She peeks at baby pictures,
Now a part of his past.

She sees him gather up his things,
Looking like a little man.
She fights the urge to reach down
And take him by the hand.

Kindergarten starts today,
And he looks so big and proud.
“Have a good day . . . I love you,”
She shouts to him out loud.

He turns with a shy smile,
And catches the kiss she throws.
She fights the lump inside her throat,
And watches as he goes.

She looks around at other parents
Who are staring at the school.
They share a nod and don a brave face,
Like an unspoken rule.

They turn and watch their children
Heading toward the school door.
These parents feel an emptiness
That settles in their core.

This is a pain, and yet a joy,
Only a parent can know.
So many emotions flowing through
As they watch them as they go.  

Grade six came way too quickly
And he’s attending his first dance.
She thinks about how tall he’s getting
As she un-hems his pants.

She drops him at the school
As he fidgets with his clothes.
She yells to have a good time,
And watches as he goes.

How did high school end so fast
As he stands in gown and cap?
She longs for days of long ago
When he would sit upon her lap.

She’d read to him for hours
Until his eyes would start to close.
But today he’s in a hurry,
And she watches as he goes.

Now he’s walking across the stage
With a diploma in his hand.
The little boy is long gone now,
Replaced by this young man.

His friends can’t wait to celebrate
With everyone they know,
As parents wave a proud goodbye
And watch them as they go.

College went too quickly.
Four years flew right on past.
He couldn’t wait for it to end
While she prayed for it to last.  

For his new job was waiting
Several states away.
He was packed and ready,
Though she wanted him to stay.

But she could not hold back his dreams,
Nor would she even try.
So she held her tears in check
As she hugged him goodbye.

He said he’d visit often,
But a mother always knows
That he’ll be busy with his own life.
And she watches as he goes.

An usher takes her arm
And escorts her to her chair.
He’s standing at the altar
And smiles when he sees her there.

But his smile gets infinitely bigger
And spreads both far and wide
As the doors spring open to reveal
His beautiful, blushing bride.

It’s at this moment she feels it . . .
She’s lost him to another.
She knows he’ll always love her . . .
After all, she is his mother.

But his heart belongs to someone else
As her spirit sinks down low.
She smiles bravely and fights back tears
And turns to watch them go.

Oh, the thrill of a grandson!
Her heart is filled with love!
She cuddles him and says a thanks
For the blessings from above.

She wants to hold him forever,
And wishes for time to slow,
As his parents bundle him up tight
And she watches as they go.

And now her life is almost done
As he sits beside her bed.
He holds her hand, and reads to her,
And kisses her forehead.

They have such a strong connection
And this is how he knows
That life has left her body . . .
And he feels her as she goes.

-K.A. Bloch-