Shadows Cast a Different Light

Fall barks, as the leaves fade, and shadows cast a different light, softer, with a hint of yellow tinged with gold. Reluctant students and fretful parents check school supply lists, betweeen outings to the lake, the park, the beach. I sit on the banks of Herrmann Pond, watching the ducks dive, float, and frolic, as the geese practice their aerial arts, readying themselves for the long southern flight toward warmer waters. The hummingbirds sip the last of their nectar, as they too, stretch their wings for the long sojourn south.

My son has already flown the coup, toward a distant shore I have, for now, no access too. I think of the things he missed; no college graduation, no wedding, no children. Sometimes, I pretend that he simply headed south, that he is in Peru, a place he always wanted to visit, and I am simply waiting for a letter, an email, a text regarding his adventure. I look for signs, angel wings disguised as soft white feathers, a Monarch butterfly landing in his memorial garden, a flower that smiles with love.

I greet each day with a sad smile; I watch the children and parents ready for a new school year. I thank my higher power for the time, albeit too short, I had with my son.