Deployment

Today I found out, I could hardly believe,

I shook my head hard, in shock and in grief.

She said, “It’ll be okay, your worries will fade,”

But her gentle words couldn’t soften the blade.

My summer ahead won’t shine the same way,

But rather grow heavy, in sorrow and gray.

 

I couldn’t fathom how she could agree,

With a demand that would take her away from me.

To leave, when I know I’ll need her near,

For every joy, and through every fear.

 

She goes with a smile, she carries it light,

While I hold the weight in the silence of night.

My summer ahead won’t shine the same way,

But rather grow heavy, in sorrow and gray.

 

I understand the how, the where, and the what,

But the why is a wound I cannot shut.

Plain and simple, it’s clear to see

My mom, my anchor, is leaving me.

 

I’ll still hear her voice, though she’s far away,

A whisper of comfort to steady my day.

But my summer ahead won’t shine the same way,

It falls into shadow, in sorrow and gray.

 

My mom: my hero, my ear, my guide,

With wisdom and love forever beside.

Through choices both small, and the ones in between,

Her counsel shapes who I’ve come to be.

 

But I know she needs this her moment, her turn,

After a lifetime of giving, it’s time to learn

That love can mean letting go without fear,

So I’ll cheer her forward, while building my own year.