Poetry of the Empty Nest

Realization

by Dan Verner

The children are years gone

From this empty nest

Married, moved away, departed,

And

I no longer know when spring comes.

There are no more swim meets to chauffeur

No anxious awaiting of college acceptances

Or rejections

No proms to plan for

And as the months slide on

No graduations

Or weddings

Or end of school giddiness.

Spring is much like summer

Without these markers

And I am suspended, timeless

And yet somehow growing older

Wondering where the months

And where the children have gone.

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Dan Verner is a retired English teacher who blogs each weekday on Biscuit City, writes a column for the Observer newspapers and is a proud member of Write by the Rails. Dan is also on the staff of Nacho, the cat who owns Dan's house.