What does it mean when you turn 18?

Daughter of mine, that day is fast approaching.

I hold so many moments from our past…

The soft touch of your dark ringlets as you nursed,

The bellow of your first laugh before you could even sit up on your own,

The day you stood with confidence at the entry way to the Garden Room of Kindergarten

Those moments have passed

Daughter of mine, 18 is fast approaching.

I keep so many feelings from before…

The aching of my knuckles as I wove your thick hair in attempt to tame it,

The outbursts of anger with arithmetic that I tried my best to assist you with,

The devastation I felt when you decided to take off for a couple of days to prove your autonomy

Those are keepsakes from before

Daughter of mine, 18 is fast approaching.

I remember so many spaces in time…

The day you let your abundant coils of hair out as a way to embrace your identity,

The secrets we shared across a campfire under the stars at dusk last summer,

The tightening in my chest when you remind me that…

Mother of mine, 18 is fast approaching.