grandchildren grow up

 

whither, from the nest?

writing about our grandchildren, as children,

seems easier than writing about them as young adults,

I am sure of continuity of self within them,

 but the plethora of paths available to them now

daunts me with the possibilities

inherent in their newfound power of discernment 

and in their willingness to take the road I didn’t even see,

my wife loves a book, a show,

within which she cannot guess where it’s going,

each episode a potential revelation

of a new answer to an old question,

I understand the nest, and the release from the nest,

I elder myself to be excited to learn where the fledglings fly,

parenting, and grandparenting,

have no limit in love found, revealed, expressed,

thank god we are limited in our knowledge of what will happen,

thank god we are not limited in our joy in what the next chapters will reveal.

by Henry H. Walker

March  29, ‘22