She leaned her head
Against the window
Remembering a time
That could have been yesterday
Watching them chase each other
Through the yard
Flying down the slide
Swinging up to the sky
As barrels of laughter echoed through the world
And believing that making a wish
By closing their eyes
And blowing on the puff of a dandelion
As the seeds blew towards the cotton clouds
Would make their dreams come true.

She remembered a time
When they loved her fiercely
And she could do no wrong
Because all that mattered
Was that she was always there for them
And in their hearts they knew her love was so strong
That she would jump in front of a runaway train
To keep them safe from harm.

But times change
And little ones discover
There's a big world out there to be savored
And that their mothers are human
And baby birds eventually fly away.

She finally pulled herself away from the glass
And all that remained was the imprint of her forehead
Slowly vanishing back to nothingness
And she wished they knew
That despite it all
Her love had never faded
And there was never any doubt that she would still jump
In front of a runaway train
To keep them safe from harm.


© by Nancy Machlis Rechtman.
Used with the author's permission.