Waiting on My Son

I

Waiting and waiting.

Pacing and pacing.

Time for the show to end,

but the worries don’t stop.

II

First time my son is out of sight.

He ventured to the theater

with a friend and 

left me behind.

III

He does this 

without me.

He does this

as a teen.

IV

I can’t hold his hand.

I can’t be there

as his guide,

as his protector.

V

I can only drive him there,

give him his time with a friend,

and pick him up afterward

when the show is at its end.

VI

So off he goes

to the theater for the show.

And outside I wait

and stay out of his way. 

VII

Nervous? Yes.

Happy he does this? Yes. 

All those years of parenting

comes down to this. 

VIII

And this moment

is about letting go 

for only a few

hours alone. 

IX

Now, here I am,

Waiting and waiting,

pacing and pacing,

by the theater’s exit.

X

Part of me wants to hold on

to this wonderful child.

Part of me wants him to move on

and grow to be a man. 

XI

This is a ritual,

just one of many

in this journey

of a dad and his boy. 

XII

Soon, he’ll be leaving me.

And spending time independently.

But for now, we take this step

for the first time gently. 

XIII

This first test will pass.

And the second will be easy.

But letting go

will always be a test for me. 

XIV

Thus, for now, 

I’ll be waiting and waiting,

pacing and pacing,

for my growing teen. 

(For Garet)