Eric Leaving

on the occasion of Eric leaving tonight, age 29

When he was a toddler and then a little boy
when he left I would go into a week long depression.
The kitchen table would remain exactly as it was at
our last meal together. I wouldn’t remove the dirty
dishes and silverware and glasses. It all remained.
Looking back, it seems impossible, but it’s true.
It always took a full week for me to relent and
move on without my sweet and beautiful son.