Empty Nest Poem by Mandy Baldwin

It's quieter now, and the old cats, once kittens
Can sleep in the sun, remembering, as I do.
But yesterday was now, once, and
It wasn't the good old days, then.
The faces you washed and kissed
were older each summer, then older again.
And the little bare footprints on the path
That dried in the sun of those summers past
Are larger than yours, now
And walking alone;
and the eyes that looked earnestly up into yours
Seeking the wisdom that only you'd give
Now regard you fondly but briefly then
Look past you and over your shoulder, when
(having tough new adventurous lives to live)
They leave with a hug and a grin and a wave.
And it seems only moments since you walked away
Impatient with all that had gone before
But nervous as you heard the closing door.
And you know that for all the books you read
And the nights of fever, sat by their bed
And the fun you had
And the tears you'd dry
that nothing was ever so loving or brave
as opening the door
And smiling goodbye.