The tears she tried to hide

She held him close when time stood still,
A breath, a yawn, a cry, a thrill.
Tiny fingers curled in sleep,
Moments sowed in silence deep.

But children grow as seasons turn,
With every step, new lessons burn.
His laughter danced across the floor,
While she stood quietly at the door.

She smiled, but oh her heart would ache,
For every leap her soul would break.
Not from pain or weary fright,
But from love that fades from sight.

A tear escaped her quiet eye,
A crystal echo of goodbye.
He didn’t know what made it fall,
But still, he reached so brave, so small.

A rag in hand, he touched her face,
And time stood still in that one place.
For though he couldn’t know the cost,
He tried to heal what she had lost.

She weeps not out of loss or fear,
But for the days no longer near.
For baby shoes and lullabies,
For kisses soft and sleepless skies.

And though he’ll walk where she can’t go,
She’ll love him more than he will know.
For every mile he grows away,
She keeps his heartbeat where it stays.

The tear she tried so hard to hide,
Was love that overflowed with pride.
And as he grows and learns to fly,
She’ll wave through ever welling eyes