Transitions
My nineteen-year-old son
was doing the rounds
before he left for the army.He only had two days' notice
and I found myself mooning about the house
standing in his room
imagining him there not there
then lying awake all night thinking,
He's the only one who kept me sane
all these years.Driving him to the barracks
I dropped him off amongst the others
and drove back to work to fill the void in between
till we returned to say our farewells.After the talk the swearing in
the photos and the cups of tea
my daughter warned me,
Don't embarrass us by crying.Thinking back down the barrel of years
I remembered our move to a small country town
At school my son cried his heart out for weeks
I tried to stay strong
as he battled the changes.Today, pretending I was a brave soldier
I waved goodbye to the images on the bus
then marched to the car
hiding a twisted smile.Now I'm the one having trouble
with transitions.
