Alone - Donna Shomer

I am standing at the side
of the pool of independence.
my daughter swims laps,
back and forth,
I can see her turn around in the distance.
sometimes, on her swim out
I leave my vigil
or turn my head away –
trusting that she can swim –
Or just called away
by my insistent life.
I am mesmerized by the
sometimes irregular returns,
by whether or not she will
let me make her tea,
by the good path out that she chooses
each time and
by how much it hurts to watch her go.