Youngest Driver

my baby's driving
(i can't believe she's fifteen)
and finding her way

Disappearing Milestones

the youngest’s birthday 
(an early celebration)
before big sis leaves

Toy Story 3. Now.
i could carry the bag out
and cry all morning

a toy, a trigger?
my girl is off to college.
(this is no cartoon).

and so he will stay.
though i know she will leave me.
each grinning their truth.

before the long drive,
enjoy the perfect park. shop.
soak up cousin time.

eat your sister’s meal
till the next time you see her.
too long (just too long).

your daughters will drive.
together, we can make it.
we will rule the night.

it’s all we can rule
with the oldest off to school
we can rule the night.

cycling through hills
of perfectly green horse farms 
before paddling

bucket lists are short
but should include Kentucky 
for its soft beauty

Kentucky surprise:
shadows, trees, sun, nieces, joy,
progressive murals

don’t assume you know
the beliefs of a red state 
until you’ve been there

my grandparents’ store
in this perfect little town
where they’ll always rest

Uncle Tim’s hard work
built for them from the ground up
(now he’s retired)

the pond where we swam 
and where i brought my toddler 
now off to college

how harsh time can be
taking everything away
yet giving us life

the Constitution 
(a ship in Boston Harbor)
has won my man’s heart

a tavern lunch date
for our last family road trip
with all of our girls

all grown up, my girls
(they’ve been everywhere with us)
and soon they will fly

flowing stream, sun bath
is my picture-perfect beach
(dogs and drinks allowed)

more importantly:
teens jumping off the big rock
back to childhood

you can’t understand 
the traffic-less upstate life
till you’re on the road

the road with vineyards
and wineries everywhere 
the empty lake roads

you can’t understand 
waterfalls till you’ve seen these
cutting out gorges

if you knew, you’d know
just how perfect this place is
(it’s carved in sandstone)

but you’re not here, right?
so let me spill this clear view:
it’s a waterfall

it’s a waterfall 
that feeds this glacial magic
(also named heaven)