Empty Nest

A vacancy no longer filled
With needs and wants
And right-nows.

Bickering and whining
And passionate arguments
For or against nothing, really.

No silly jokes;
No slapstick.
No arms extended for a hug.

No cuddles on the couch;
No heads tilted upward,
Lips pursed for a kiss

Like birdies in a nest
Seeking nourishment
From mama bird.

The silence I coveted is cavernous.
The time is timeless.
The relief is new anxiety.

But it's important to them, to us.
They grow, they learn,
They know not to need,

To have reliance on self,
Appreciation for others,
The joy of joy.

They learn, they struggle,
They achieve!
They gain strength.

They discover their wings,
The strength of those wings;
They rejoice in their newfound selves.


Is this what they mean by empty nest? My children, like baby birds, are gone. As they discover their inner strengths, their fortitudes, and what is meaningful to them, their mama and papa watch from afar and await their return.

We survey our empty nest. Baby-less. Unneeded. Unclaimed.

A foreign state.

A trial run, this week is. They will be back. We will be whole. We will each have experiences to take with us to someday, when the nest is empty for good, and our birdies make new nests of their own.

My children: Fly, be free. But please come back to me.