When You Fly Away

I reached home having dropped them on the train to catch a flight to reach the place they now belong to. The younger one about whose EI I have mentioned in recent posts, had agreed to leave only when he was reminded of the responsibility he has to arrange for our visit to their place and that he can only fulfill if he leaves now.

When I reached home silence had returned. Life had gone back to that old order and there was no one who needed advice to be a ‘good boy’. Till recently filled with his accented chatter, the nest was vacant, a poignant reminder of his absence.

I returned to my favourite pass time of reading articles and other literary stuff Google and YouTube notified and shared. And there I read a poem.

There was a reference to ‘a nest after the fledglings have flown’ in a poem “The Empty Nest" by John B. Tabb which reads:

"The fledglings all have flown away,
The nest is empty now;
But memory, with tender touch,
Returns to every bough.

The songs that filled the summer air,
The echoes linger still;
And love, that made the nest so fair,
Keeps watch from hill to hill."

This poem reflects on the quiet emptiness left behind after children leave, while cherishing the memories of their presence.

The Chatbot offered me help to craft a poem that captures the full spectrum of emotions parents feel when their children leave home—pride, love, longing, fear, and the silent prayers for their well-being. Here is his attempt:

“When You Fly Away"

The house is quieter now,
the echoes of your laughter
linger in the corners,
like sunlight fading softly
at the edge of the day.

I watch you go,
your steps steady, your heart bold,
and though my arms ache to hold you,
I know this is the way it must be—
the way it was always meant to be.

Yet, in the stillness,
fear whispers like a shadow:
Will the world be kind to you?
Will you find your way
through storms I cannot see?

I pray silently,
a thousand prayers woven into one—
for your success, your peace,
for harmony to cradle your days,
for strength to rise when challenges come.

May your path be lit with grace,
your heart light with joy,
and your spirit unshaken
by the winds that blow.

Though you are far,
you are never far from me.
My love follows you,
an invisible thread,
tied to your soul,
guiding you home
even when home is a memory.

So fly, my child,
fly with courage and hope.
And know, wherever you go,
my prayers are your wings,
my love, your eternal nest.

I hope this poem resonates with the emotions of parents. It’s a tribute to the enduring bond between parents and children, even as life takes them on separate paths.