Fly, or fall

A poem for Jack

Baby boy
Not so much a baby anymore
Watching you attempt brand new things
Scary, unknown things
Every day
Makes me say
Over and over in my head
Fly, or fall, my son
But take the leap.


Always take the leap.


I’ll be ever present
From far enough away
To give you courage if you need it
But not close enough to do it for you.


Leap into the unknown, my son
Because you will either
Fly, or fall
And either way you will be better for it.


I have no doubt
That you will mostly fly.
I can see it in the
Bite of your lip
Clench of your fist and
Gaze in your eye.


Lord, let you fly even when you doubt yourself
Carry you on
Wings that you cannot see
Wings that are made from the love and support
Of those who will not let you fall.


But sometimes, you will fall.


And not all falling is bad
You will learn from the hard falls
Carry forward with you the lessons realized
On the way down
Or even at rock bottom


And then there are the falls I hope for--
Your life falling into place and of course
One day, your falling in love


No matter how scary
Or unknown the outcome
Take the leap, my son
Because if you don’t, you will neither fly nor fall
But instead stay frozen
Wondering
What if
And it will be the what ifs that haunt you
Not the falls--
I promise you.


Fly, or fall, my son
But always take the leap.