A Song For My Mom

Take a risk she told me, while you’re young enough to fail
You’ve got a life ahead with dreams and loves and talents to excel
A cloud of gloom hung over her while encouragement she spilled
About to lose her oldest son to exploring his new world

And she would never, ever say

You’re killing me, I’m so sad I could bleed and bleed and bleed
These tears are what you mean to me, to me

This had happened once before, but less unexpectedly
A planned release from parental leash and deeper things to see
Two-hundred fifty miles away was close enough to drive
4 hours home and empty car seats would never dry her eyes

Still she never, ever said

You’re killing me, I’m so sad I could bleed and bleed and bleed
These tears are what you mean to me, to me

It always seems like I’m leaving, like I don’t care enough
For family life and growing up and all that other stuff
But the truth to me is that it hurts to see that look in your eyes
showing gray rainy skies and it leaves me without the words.
I wanna let you know that it hurts. (me too)

It’s killing me, I’m so confused I can’t see enough to dream
These pent up tears could tell you stories of the pain I’ve seen

It’s killing me to see that you love me enough to see me leave
I know you’ll survive because that’s what you taught to me.