New beginnings
Aching for the woman I used to know.
Her laugh was hearty,
her body fit,
her time her own.
My time now measured,
the air thick with responsibility.
How can she be found in this world of restriction?
Reprieve.
Inhale again the sweet taste
of freedom.
We meet again, a heady reunion.
Passion felt for adventure,
philosophy,
the outside world.
Returning: will the undertow prove too powerful?
Determined and tempered she emerges,
changed,
but not diluted.
Reconnected with the selves of the past:
some need space to grow,
some need to be let go.
But losses not the focus anymore.
A new beginning – a definition of self.
She has now the lioness’s pride,
and a home
for her heart.
I am now a mother.
Some things I have lost,
but much
I have gained.
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost over in my part of the world – six long weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by hot, lazy days at the beach or the pool with lots of daring exploits and laughter. Many of our days were spent at home, basking in simple pleasures like baking, playing games or outdoor pursuits – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. However pleasant, I must admit to being relieved that life gets back to normal next week, and I can reclaim some of my own time for writing again!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007