Poetry Prompt - Commencement

Photo by Amy McGrath

Yesterday, like many parents, I sat in an auditorium and bore witness to a rite of passage. My older son donned his cap and gown, processed to "Pomp and Circumstance", and walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma. It was the most bittersweet feeling I have ever experienced. I was simultaneously yearning to hang on to my little boy and bursting with pride at the kind, caring, talented man that he has become. 

I remember watching him take his first steps when he was a toddler. I encouraged him, helped steady his balance, and cheered him on. When he stumbled or fell, I was there to help him back onto his feet. Now I am in awe as I watch him take his first steps into adulthood and my task as his mother is the same now as it was before. Encourage him, steady him, cheer for him, and be there to assist when he stumbles or falls. 

The Prompt:

Free write about beginnings or first steps. Use what comes up for you to create a poem.

Word Prompts:

Graduation

Commencement

First Steps

Beginnings

Getting started

Please share the link to your poem (or post your poem) in the comments below. If you're on Facebook, you can share your poem in the Poets on the Page group. 

 Amy McGrath is a mixed media artist and writer in Virginia Beach. She is a regular contributor here and volunteers at The Muse Writer's Center in Norfolk. Her current writing project is a memoir about her experiences as an adoptee and about the journey to find her birth parents.