Mom's Loving Bungee Cord
copyright 2003 by Karl Ann Marie
I'm going to run away" I cry
"watch me, I'm gonna do it."
"Go ahead then" mother replies.
I run off to pack my kit.
A stick laid across my bed.
A kerchief for my sack.
Corners folded ever careful.
I construct my make shift pack.
I gather my things thoughtfully.
A flashlight. My favorite toy.
A sandwich. My water bottle.
Cookies taken quietly from mother's jar.
I set off to start my new life.
Proud that I'll stand on my own.
Mother stands quietly watching.
I think I am so grown.
I walk down the hill from my mother's house.
Yet something happens with each pace.
Each step becomes shorter and heavier.
Each stride seems slower and slower.
A longing grows within me.
I look back to see if mother is staring.
No sight of her to be seen or felt.
What's happening to my boldness and daring?
The world appears so very large.
My pace slows to a crawl.
The road stretches out forever.
My tears begin to fall.
I stop.
I ponder.
I look back.
I wonder.
Home seems such a safer place now.
The world so big and scary.
What am I going to do I wonder?
My heart is growing wary.
My feet develop a separate mind,
now moving on their own,
taking me back to mother's place,
for my actions I must atone.
"I'm sorry" I mutter thru teary eyes,
as mother has opened wide the door,
she welcomes me back into this house,
which more than a building is a home.
How lucky I am,
she is my mother,
who loves me very much,
her bungee cord of love,
springing me back to where I belong
This poem is based on a childhood memory which I wrote for my mother which a friend and I worked on together. The pen name reflects our joint efforts which I hope develop into a novel work soon.