Letting go
The swifts do not debate: they will depart,
Though summer still lies soft on England’s fields,
For stormy seas and distant shores. Its heart,
Touched by September frosts, the great oak yields
Its crown and glory to decay; the rose
Gives up its scent, lets its bright colours run
Without regret, and vast, all-conquering snows
Surrender meekly to the reborn sun.
So who am I to wish to stop the wheel
And hold her always in this time, this age?
I must seek out that secret strand of steel
Within, accept this turning of the page.
This is her time to run, to fly, to grow;
And mine to learn to live with letting go.
Gonecycling (again) 
A parent has a time limit on their first set of life instructions/lessons which they can provide…if done well…after a short period…other opportunities will be provided by the student. 😉
Good Lord, Nick. You are finding a channel of greatness in your recent work. This is absolutely classic. The theme: Time passing and your reaction to the inevitable, language that is so elegant I would like to tell a crowd of readers larger than my imagination, hey! Listen to this!:
the great oak yields
Its crown and glory to decay; the rose
Gives up its scent, lets its bright colours run
Without regret, and vast, all-conquering snows
Surrender meekly to the reborn sun.
and just the absolute skill of rhyme and meter, which I admire, I admire. Brilliant. Just brilliant. You inspire me. What a magnificent sonnet!
So difficult to learn Nick – the knack of letting go and yet doing it with love.
We can easily understand the theory, but putting it into practise is so much harder.
That you are wrestling with the dilemma is surely a good sign.
And I do know that my son did a much better job of his growing up than I did of mine!!
My best to you
David
Hi Nick, this poem of letting go is so beautiful.
I can imagine having a daughter is difficult at times. Girls can give there fathers heartship! I remember how difficult I was myself. I think what she needs to know , and probably does 🙂 , is that you love her and if she reads this poem, she will understand a bit about how you feel!
Good luck 🙂
This poem resonates with me, too, even though I don’t have any children of my own yet. I’m looking for my own “secret strand of steel” that will enable me to endure and even thrive as a result of life’s turning pages. What’s your steel?
Grace and peace to you,
Eric
Nick,
Once again I am in awe of your ability to create such wonderful sonnets. You are truly talented, I really mean it!!
Letting go – wow! What a difficult one this is.
You know, thinking about this just on the spot regarding my children, I feel that the more I learn to let go graciously, my efforts are rewarded because they (the children) come back to me – in a different way, and of course on a totally different level but just as beautiful! And they are still my children no matter what else changes.
She will always fly back to you, I am sure of it!
Christine x
PS – I have feebly attempted to pass on an award to you!
It’s the One Lovely Blog Award. Martin Shone (agapintheclouds.wordpress.com) passed it very efficiently to me!! But I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m way out of my depth when it comes to this sort of thing – technical stuff isn’t my thing!
Anyway, please consider yourself duly nominated for this award!!!
Christine x