first born
you will remember how you held them
warm from the womb & gasping when
they surprise or disappoint you & your
heart will fill & flop with fear more than
you can ever admit but still you push
them into the world & pray & hope their
paths are easy, their burdens light,
no two roads diverging in woods they'll
lie to themselves about but one path
clear & free of fallen limbs & dead leaves
that might wander, yes, but lead to where
they want & need to go despite the life
you imagined would unfold because that's
the way the future sprawls, one messy twist
after another in a constant state of change
that you can't grasp but they navigate with
ease until they too find themselves one day
clutching to the past as if to ask what else
could they have done but live their lives some
other way that didn't lead them here where
everyone ends up regardless of hindsight
& regret because that's the way we stumble
forward into light, squinting & squealing
into the arms of whatever awaits to welcome