I am treading water between the islands
She is locked in her private paradise
While a swim against the current
Words ripple to her shore
But she blows against the tide
Fighting an internal changing tempest

She used to swim with me in harmony
Synchronist in stroke
But she says I am making waves
Blocking her leap into the fresh air
She can’t see that she is like me
Who also wants to feel the open water

I know the struggle she is fighting
The urge to fly and the pull to stay
I have travelled the route she is going
And I want to guide her on her way
But she thinks I am making waves
Blocking her leap into fresh air

I watch from the shallows
As she heads into the deep blue
She strikes out strong and true, then turns
I know she feels the pull
And I smile as only a mother can do
Watching as she takes her first leap