When

When I first beheld my creation And held you in my arms I determined I would obliterate Anything that would try to bring you harm When I suckled you at my breast Offering all my love without restraint I determined I would work to provide Every need, and your wants without complaint When you grew your legs with great strength And I let you go, to run and play I determined to only guide from the sidelines And never get in the way ......of growth When your mind produced thoughts And I drew in my breath in awe of your beauty I determined to never lie for vanity's sake But share hope in truth, the heart of a parent's duty When I saw you develop in ways That I could not relate, I kept open the gate And, I determined that understanding is a bonus That disequilibrium can never negate When I saw that you spent less and less time Wanting, or even enduring my presence I determined that I would give you space And not add sugar that puffs up and leavens ....my bread of sorrow When you looked into my eyes And saw the power I couldn't see myself I determined to love you silly And put the unpleasant experience on a shelf When I tried to address and disarm your fears You shooed me away with push of your hand I determined to let you go your way And accept that I don't need to understand When I saw you take courage and dare to express Self, in a way that was creative and bold I determined to rejoice in silence And accept that my meager mite created gold ....when...... Written by Trudy Schrader on 10/05/2019