The Un-Nesting

by Elizabeth Wawrzyniak

My mother today bought me cups,
Cups and plates and two bowls to
Eat cereal, or more likely ice cream,
In when I move out from the house
Of my childhood. Is this what makes
A house a home, these few things
That have always seemed so simple,
So uncomplicated? Now they are
A symbol of the spreading of wings,
The full-bloom of ending adolescence
And the first steps into that state
Of aloneness, adulthood realized.
The plates and the cups are the
Only things, I think, that keep my
Mother from falling into weeping at
My impending goodbye. But even
If she were to begin and leak wet
Tears while standing in the middle
Of the aisle, she could dry them off
On the fluffy new hand-towels that
Are sitting in the cart, cushioning
The plastic plates with softness;
Or she could take the large bath
Ones and cover her head, hide the
Shame of every mother mourning
The realization that all children must
One day leave home. But still I
Think she'd rather wind them tight
And bind my hands with them,
Ensuring that I will stay, at least
A little while, one more last night.
But she neither cries nor twists the
Towels to tie me closer; instead we
Slowly make our way through the
Store, both talking and not talking
About the room that will soon be
Empty, the vacant seat at the table.
And thinking about that unused seat,
My mother returns and searches for
The extra silverware, so that all her
Years of teaching will not be forgotten;
As if without her presence, I will regress
So far back, losing the ability to use
Familiar utensils, knives and forks, and
Even the spoons that I will let her think
Are used for cereal, and not ice cream.

The Author

Elizabeth is a senior at Marquette University pursuing a degree in English Literature and minors in Classics and Criminology/Law Studies. She plans on pursuing an MA in Medieval Studies or Medieval Literature, and has been reading and writing poetry for as long as she can remember. Her poetry has recently been published in the Marquette Journal, the student-run literary journal on campus. You can find more of her writing in her online journal, Take This Step.