Age (POEM)

I found out I was pregnant with you and my life changed forever.
I'm the vessel and you are the prize inside.
A perfect package, yet to be unwrapped.
Waiting. Praying. Uncertain times.

I held you in my arms and my priorities instantly shifted.
You are the most important thing in my life. Evermore.
From this day forward I am your Mother.
Watching.  Awestruck. Privileged to partake.

You left on that school bus and took my heart with you.
I watched you wave goodbye with tears in my eyes.
I know that I have to let you go, for your sake.
Wondering. Fearful.  Learning along with you.

You're a teenager now and know more than I do.
I realize that this is all part of the process.  Tearing yourself away from me, slowly.
Piece by piece, I watch you leave.  Growing in your own right.
Impatient.  Saddened.  Wishing that you'd reappear to me.

Watching your father walk you down the aisle.
The beauty in which you move takes my breath away.
I am honored to be in the presence of such grace.
Nervous,  Excited.  At peace with who you've become.

You found out that you're pregnant today.  My life has changed forever.
You're both the prize and the vessel.  Both to me and the daughter you're protecting, inside.
What a blessing it is to watch you unwrap your own irreplaceable gift.
Anxious.  Enthralled.   I'm so proud of you.

You're holding my hand now, helping me walk.
The tenderness in which you hold me reminds me of something, yet it escapes me now.
I'm thankful for your attendance to this precious time in my life.  The end.
Tired.  Complete.  Ready to pass you the torch.

From this day forward.....I am your Mother.