bye bye nest

Since I soon will kiss the nest goodbye in the near future, it may be fitting to find some appropriate poetry:

Waving Goodbye by Gerald Stern

I wanted to know what it was like before we

had voices and before we had bare fingers and before we

had minds to move us through our actions

and tears to help us over our feelings,

so I drove my daughter through the snow to meet her friend

and filled her car with suitcases and hugged her

as an animal would, pressing my forehead against her,

walking in circles, moaning, touching her cheek,

and turned my head after them as an animal would,

watching helplessly as they drove over the ruts,

her smiling face and her small hand just visible

over the giant pillows and coat hangers

as they made their turn into the empty highway.

Ah--- goodbye from the point of view of the dear parents. I will be leaving my parents an empty nest, and I think, what in the world will they do with their lives now that I'm leaving? What will they do... be thankful that there are such things as "minds to move us through our actions / and tears to help us over our feelings?" Will they watch as I walk away from their car? There must be some sensation of fear, hopelessness, and sadness within any parent who must relinquish a child into the "empty highway." A mother cannot let go-- I know my mother will not: she "hugged her, / as an animal would, pressing [her] forehead against her, / walking in circles, moaning, touching her cheek, / and turned [her] head after them as an animal would, / watching helplessly." This poem seems to specifically connect the mother with an animal, a sentient being presumably with no mind to move through action or tears to get over the feelings. She can only feel. It's pretty sad, actually.