No rescue

When you become a mother
you are a mother - for life.
From the minute your children enter your world,
they ARE your world.
Then, one day,
they grow up.
That's what they are supposed to do.
Grow up.
Make a life for themselves.
But, they aren't supposed to abandon
the life they had,
or the parents that gave them that life.
Most can establish a separate adult life,
without separating from their parents, altogether.
That's not how it's supposed to go.
But, for some, like me, those children grow up and decide,
they no longer need us,
they no longer value us,
they no longer want our presence
'our interference' - in their lives.
So, they set us adrift,
in a sea of bewilderment.
That sea that has no lighthouse,
that boat - just one oar.
We paddle in hopeless circles,
in the dark
while other ships pass us,
unseen
and offer no rescue.