A change in everything

I remember the day you began

following me outside,

to stand on the driveway and

wave goodbye until I was out of view.

No matter what the weather

you would stand there

- never any shoes -

and I would hang my arm

out of the window and

wave frantically until your

quivering lip disappeared.

Your eyes would follow me

around the corner, as I carried

your heart in my hands.

But all these years I knew,

I carried more fear than you.

You, I was told repeatedly,

when I called to check you were ok,

had recovered quickly.

Back to playing with your tea set;

reading your magazine;

texting your best friend;

fighting with your boyfriend...

But the fear followed me.

What if I left you, too, and your fear

- however seemingly fleeting, still there -

had been true?

What on earth would you do?

And now, I stand on the driveway

- feet bare -

and I wave goodbye to you,

until you are out of view.

And it's you who hangs from the

window waving frantically.

Although, you never quite

wait until I disappear, and

I see for a second what that

fearless life could be,

before I return indoors to wait on

the text that tells me you

made it safely.