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Linda Pastan (1932 - / New York / United States)
Poems by Linda Pastan : 17 / 20
To A Daughter Leaving Home
When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle, loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up,
while you grew
smaller, more breakable
with distance,
pumping, pumping
for your life, screaming
with laughter,
the hair flapping
behind you like a
handkerchief waving
goodbye.
Linda Pastan
Submitted: Monday, January 13, 2003
Read poems about / on: laughter, hair, daughter, home, life
Poems by Linda Pastan : 17 / 20
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Builds up beautifully in so short a time, enough to make the eyes water of those who love children and like to see them happy.
I was deeply moved by your beatiful poem.
It´s so personal and at the same time sounds in every mother´s heart.
It´s a relief for me, thank you
It's so good!
I love the line about her daughter's hair. It was a great simile!
woW! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
it reminds me of my childhood, when my brother's and sisters decided to leave us home to look for their job and my mother has nothing to do but to watch them leaving while crying.
nice piece. luv 8!
Oh! Linda! Such a beautiful metaphor! I imagine most parents have had this experience and saw it just the way you have painted it here. So Lovely. It is one of my favorites since I have found your work. Keep writing and thinking the way you do. You give the finite circle of life such beauty with your words. Keep the work coming for the rest of us to enjoy. Delsie
hey a intense fatherly love for the daughter.....lucky daughter....happy for both of you
I too enjoyed this metaphor, amd embellish as to me it is also a strong representation of the cyclic nature of living, learning and leaving... One Peace at a Time..
This poem is really touching. Choosing of the metaphor bike riding is poignant. It touches the finer nuances of mother daughter relationship. i would like to ask the poet the insecurity or anxiety is reflection of poet's jewish background or one should see it more as a girl's sense of freedom in the context of womens's liberation.
its really lovely poem. my mother was very impressed with it. it reminds her of her childhood days. i too think its a fascinating poem describing the strong relationship between a mother and her child.
It's a lovely touching story, but I find it difficult to understand that this is 155 in the top 500 poems whilst Gray's Elegy languishes at no 457. I'm all for accentuating the positive - and I think I've done that in this case - but I can't get on this bus. Sorry.