Before my Eyes

It was my daughter’s 45th birthday on Saturday. Where have all those years gone? No longer a child, she is now the mother of two wonderful boys, and she’s doing a great job.

I remember when she was little, I worried so much each time she was ill, fell over, or got upset about something, Later, as a teenager, I worried about her being bullied or taken advantage of. When she moved to London to live with her father, I worried that I hadn’t been a good enough mother.

I watched as she transformed from a fairy-like toddler into a beautiful woman, mature, sensible, responsible and, above all, loving and kind, and I am so proud.

a cygnet splashes
in the wake of its mother
gracefully gliding

Kim M. Russell, 24th November 2024

Image by Stuart Bartlett on Unsplash

This Monday we are writing haibun with Frank at the dVerse Poets Pub.

With the last full week of November, fallen leaves, fallow fields and shortened days mark a time of death, reminding us of our own end. As Frank says, “Change happens. The only constant is change. We are not the babies we were when we entered this world, any more than we are the corpses we will be when we leave it.”

Franks has given examples of contemporary haibun about transformation to inspire our own blends of prose and haiku bearing witness to the power of transformation.

29 thoughts on “Before my Eyes

  1. So beautiful Kim. It is wonderful to see your daughter in the world and know she will be alright. It is the best gift a mother can give is the one of independence. You did well and so has your daughter. Lovely poem.

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