A hard part of being a parent

observing your kid watch a movie scene
knowing heartbreak lurks around the corner
                 inevitable crocodile tears will fall
allowing the pain instead of
saving her from it
sitting with your kid and her grief
enduring your own
filtering with empathy and experience

Harder still

watching your kid’s scene 
knowing heartbreak lurks around the corner
                 inevitable crocodile tears will fall
allowing the pain instead of 
saving her from it
sitting with your kid and her grief and
enduring your own
filtering with empathy and experience 

Hardest yet

sopping up crushed pulp as a sponge 
persevering ablutions as a sieve
filtering with empathy and experience 
separating volatile components of life
refining and freeing the good stuff 
concentrating on the tedious process
distilling it all in front of an audience of one