my daughter
is set to sail
in two days time
I think, it’s fine
no big deal
we are so different
we are so separate
anyway
but I awoke this morning
at 5:21
tears already in my eyes
and a soreness under my left breast
my child
a woman now
will be across the world
she let me feed her
a bite of my turkey Reuben
yesterday
she was working
so couldn’t risk
letting the thick juices
drip
on her hands
or down her chin
she let me dip the bite
in the pale red sauce
and place it in
her open mouth
like a bird
I said, wow
I haven’t done that in years
and she replied,
with a confident nod of her head,
well, you have to revisit it
every once in a while
and that proud lioness
strode off
back to work
back to her cash register
and out of my sight
