Re-feathering My Empty Nest
There she goes, down the road;
my youngest child is leaving home,
off to college, pursuing her dreams;
making a life of her own.
Twenty plus years spent being a mom;
left to become a victim of the empty nest syndrome.
Never the one for dramatics,
I watch her leave with only a slight tear in my eye.
I love being a mom, I love my children;
For without them, I never would have known the depth
of feelings and love that I have within me.
Without them, I would have never experienced
the pride I feel as I watched them grow.
Without them, my life would have been boring.
Shaking my head, smiling to myself,
I let out a long sigh—
No time for sadness or tears;
Today is the day that I am set free!
Gone are the large phone bills,
I shall embrace the lower water bills—
Late fees at the video store will a memory be!
Less messes to clean, easier daily routines,
One less bed to be made, plenty of towels for me,
a bottle of shampoo will last months.
I will be sole owner of the remote.
An endless roll of toilet paper, glory be!
No more hiding my best make-up;
The car radio stations are all mine!
Looking in the mirror, I no longer see
The carefree young girl from twenty-plus years ago;
Where did she go? Does she still exist?
Time to rediscover myself, time to explore the possibilities;
time to re-feather my empty nest.
Perhaps I will travel; Chicago, New York, Castles of Ireland—
Become an author; write poetry, a novel, a screenplay.
Entertain a gentleman friend or two; find love again, or just a little fun!
Perhaps all that and more—oh, the possibilities I see!
But for this moment—
I look over at the cats with a wicked grin;
Grab my hairbrush as my microphone,
pop in my favorite CD, crank ‘er up;
Hip-hopping to Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya’ Think I’m Sexy?”
Clad in only my sock-feet and floppy hat!
Oh yeah, folks, she’s back!