In the mean time . . . (Part II)

As we anxiously await the awesome Halloween pictures, I thought I'd post one of my favorite poems. I read it in my English Literature class, my freshman year at college. I loved it so much that when my mom came up for the weekend, I had her read it too. There we were, sitting at some booth at Fong's Chinese Restaurant, and I opened my Lit book and had her read it. She started crying, and of course, I started crying too. (I'm almost crying now as I think about it! Darn pregnancy hormones!)

To a Daughter Leaving Home

When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle, loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up,
while you grew
smaller, more breakable
with distance,
pumping, pumping
for your life, screaming
with laughter,
the hair flapping
behind you like a
handkerchief waving
goodbye.

Linda Pastan