Tethers

When born, we are literally tethered to our mothers.
They may 'cut the cord,' but the tether is eternal.
We spend our youth stretching and tugging and yanking on that rope.
By adulthood, we've managed to all but sever the tie that binds.
Then we have our own offspring and trip and are entangled in our own tethers.
We are embroiled in our own battles of trying to reign in what we've created.
And, as our own children age, we turn once again to the tethers of our parents.
We are the ones, now, who are pulling and tugging to draw them nearer.
And suddenly, that line snaps, and we are set adrift;
anchored only by the tentacles of what we have offered to our children.
And we float,
searching,
seeking,
hoping,
to one day feel that tug and pull.
We are all connected.