I Watch you Go

I see your eyes,
one final glance as you look back at me,
and we both know it is time.
Although I swore
I would never have to let you go
It's a promise I cannot keep.

I need to live
and you need to grow.

My heart folds back onto itself
And I just bend my knees and lower my center
To withstand the buffet of the winds
That will blow by me,
and through me
Without you standing there to shelter me.

The tether is cut,
and you are free to fly
and I lose an anchor,
and my cheeks burn,
from the icy wind
and the few tears that sneak past the wall
That I am leaning on
so that I can stand
and watch you go.

And someday soon I think
I will find a haven
Where I can cry the tears
And let the salt water cleanse the wounds
So they can begin to heal
But now is not the time.

One hand raised
I salute you
With a wave of good-bye
Wishing you all the blessings of this earth
And when we meet again
it won't be the same
But we will always know

How much we loved
and trusted
and shared
Victories, losses, adventures
and just the passage of time.

Look back no more
Eyes to the future
And I will just stand here
and watch you go.